Close to Home
by StaindRedGlass
Summary: STORY 19: Gibbs witnesses a car crash that causes him to reminisce about the past. With what he witnessed hitting close to home, Gibbs will stop at nothing to protect the young girl who survived. He also deals with another personal matter.. Gibbs-centric.
1. Chapter 1

Here's the 19th story in my series. If you haven't read the other stories, then I advise you to not proceed until you do. This is a series. It runs in sequence. To understand certain things (especially where Jamie came from), it's best to just start at the beginning. This series is kind of like my very own NCIS season 4. As of this point, the series consists of: story 1 A Link to the Past (comes in 3 parts)… story 2 Wrong Place, Wrong Time… story 3 Second Job… story 4 Daughters… story 5 A Personal Vendetta… story 6 Bless the Children… story 7 Eyes of the Condemned… story 8 Disturbing Affection… story 9 No Man Left Behind (story that introduces Chioke; aka Kid)… story 10 Finger Swap… story 11 Imperfect Heist… story 12 The Color of Skin… story 13 Death to the Jedi… story 14 Brotherly Love… story 15 For the Love of a Child… story 16 Devil's Playground… story 17 Forced Alliance… story 18 Firing up the Screws… story 19 Close to Home (current story). Hope you enjoy it.

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**Author's Note: **The following story will pretty much be Gibbs-centric for the most part. It will also focus more around Gibbs with personal and family stuff than an actual case. The case will be there, just not as much as in my other stories. I should also say the following story contains mini spoilers for "Requiem" as after seeing that episode and this story idea already in my head since before then, I do plan on bringing in a character from it. And also another aspect of the episode; something mentioned and shown which Gibbs never opened… Lastly, if you've never read any of my stories, I'll have you know in my series Gibbs' daughter is still alive and all grown-up. So sorry if you're thinking the summary refers to his daughter as being dead with the whole "reminiscing about the past" part. The reminiscing is more about Shannon. The story will still be worth reading though. Also, the reason why Gibbs doesn't like being called by his first name 'Leroy' will be explained in this story.

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**Saturday**

**Chapter 1**

It's a warm, beautiful Saturday morning. A gentle breeze whisks through the tri-state area. A mother and daughter are picked up at their home just North of Washington, D.C. The man greets them and shows them his badge. The two are rushed to the car. Once inside, the car speeds away.

The mother is in the passenger seat. The daughter is in the back seat. Both have their seat belt on. The mother made sure her daughter fastened the seat belt because she's one of those worrying type mothers who always think about car safety.

"Where are we going, Mommy?" The daughter asked. "Are we going to the park like you promised?"

"We'll go to the park another time, Sweetie." The mother said from the passenger seat as she turns to see the sad expression on her daughter's face.

"But you promised."

"I know I did. And I'm sorry we can't go today. Mommy has something very important to do."

"What can be more important?"

"You are." The mother reaches back and places her hand on her daughter's leg. Her only concern is the safety of her daughter.

A couple minutes pass. They enter into Washington, D.C. The driver continues to glance in the rear view mirror every couple of seconds to check if they're being followed or not. In the distance, he notices a yellow Hummer but thinks nothing of it due to how far back it is.

The driver turns the wheel. They're now on major two-lane road heading in a southern direction. He looks in the rear view mirror. The yellow Hummer also turns onto the street. Now he thinks they're possibly being followed.

Another yellow Hummer quickly turns onto the street. Before the driver can even realize a second Hummer is behind them, it slams into their trunk. The impact is felt inside the car by all three of them. The shockwave really startles the daughter. She begins to cry. The mother worries even more for her daughter.

"Take my hand, Sweetie." The mother reaches for her daughter. The daughter places her hand into her mother's. The mother sees the fear in her daughter's eyes. She looks to the driver. "Get us out of here!"

The driver presses on the gas pedal. Seconds later, he turns the wheel. The two Hummers follow them onto the next street.

Further down the street, Gibbs steps out of his favorite coffee shop. With a newly brewed coffee in hand, he leisurely walks in the direction of his car.

The sound of gunfire immediately draws Gibbs' attention. Even though Gibbs isn't on duty for another hour, he draws his sidearm. His badge and weapon are never left at work. Gibbs always likes to be prepared in case of an emergency. He drops the coffee and runs in the direction of where the gunfire came from.

The car with the mother and daughter is speeding down the street in a reckless manner. The mother is driving the car from the passenger side because the driver is dead. She's unable to reach the brake or even get the dead man's foot off the gas pedal. The daughter remains in the back seat crying. The car is bashing the side of every single parked car on its side of the road. Gunfire continues. Gibbs finally sees what's going on with the two Hummers shooting at the car. He jumps onto the hood of a parked vehicle, places one foot on the roof and takes aim.

A couple shoots are fired at the Hummer.

Gibbs jumps off the hood of the vehicle and onto the sidewalk. The speeding car bashes and scrapes against the car Gibbs was just on. He takes a quick look inside the car as it speeds by. Gibbs knows the lady is driving from the passenger side. His first reaction to seeing a man and a woman is to look at the back seat. The back seat is empty. Though, from his angle he's unable to see the daughter who is crouching down.

Both of the Hummers turn onto the nearby street and speed away. Gibbs runs out into the street and takes aim at the Hummers. He looks at the car still moving down the street. He holsters his sidearm and runs in the direction of the car.

The car continues scraping against all the parked cars on its side of the road. An unaware trucker driving a big Mack truck is coming up the street in the opposite direction.

The Mack truck and the car get closer and closer as they move in each other's direction. As the car approaches, a vehicle with the driver on her cell-phone tries to pull out because she's not paying attention. The car bashes into the front end of the pulling out vehicle, is jolted upward and veers to the left while on two wheels. The tilt isn't too great; just enough so that the other two wheels are off the ground.

The driver in the Mack truck slams on the breaks. But it's too late. Right when the car's passenger side wheels are back onto the ground, the two collide.

The Mack truck hits the passenger side door directly. Due to the high speed collision, the back end of the car is forced to move toward the Mack truck. The back end of the passenger side slams against the Mack truck.

Gibbs continues running in the direction of the crash.

After hitting the side of the Mack truck, the car is launched to the other side of the road like a rocket. The front end rams into a parked vehicle. The impact is so great that the car actually bounces backward to the point of the back end of the car being on the other side of the street. The screech of breaks is heard. Seconds later, a vehicle slams into the back end of the car. The force causes the front end of the car to move toward the vehicle. The driver's side rams against the vehicle.

Eventually, the car manages to crash into a parked car and remains lodged there.

Gibbs approaches the passenger side. The door is so busted it can't even be opened. Gibbs notices a rather large piece of steel from the passenger door is lodged in the woman's side. The amount of blood is abundant. The woman is dead. He glances at the driver. He's dead too. Gibbs starts having flashbacks of the crime-scene photos of his family's crash a long time ago. He recalls examining the car firsthand; when he was allowed to see the damaged car. The crash was horrific from what he saw. This crash is also horrific.

"Daddy, help me…" Gibbs heard a faint, familiar voice. He looks to the back seat where he sees a young girl.

Gibbs runs to the other side of the car. He quickly opens the door. He realizes his mind played a trick on him as he looks at the young girl's body sitting with the seat belt on. The girl isn't even conscious. Sadness quickly sets in as he looks at the young victim. But Gibbs doesn't check her vital signs because he's frozen in the sight of the young victim as it reminds him too much of the past. There's no way this girl survived what he witnessed.

A faint moan is heard. Gibbs' ears perk up. The girl is alive.

"Kelly!" Gibbs exclaimed as his mind continues playing tricks on him with how much this crash resembles the one from long ago. He tries to get the girl released from the seat belt. While doing so, he notices the girl stops breathing. "Kelly! Don't you give up on me!" The seat belt loosens. Gibbs carefully takes the girl from the car and places her on the ground. He starts to perform CPR on the young girl.

The trucker approaches.

"Oh my God…" The man said in shock as he looks at the destroyed car with two dead bodies inside.

"Call 9-1-1!" Gibbs yelled to the man standing there in shock. He looks back to the girl and continues to perform CPR on her.

The trucker takes out his cell-phone and makes the call.

The girl finally starts breathing on her own. The breathing is shallow. But she's alive. With the girl breathing, Gibbs tries to stop the bleeding from the major wound she acquired in the crash.

Eventually, an ambulance arrives. The paramedics approach and try to stabilize the young girl as best they can so they can transport her to the hospital. Gibbs remains standing nearby.

For Gibbs, flashbacks of scenes with his daughter Kelly run through his head. As he watches the paramedics work on the girl, her face morphs. Gibbs' heart rate increases as what he sees is Kelly lying on the ground. He shakes it off. The girl's face morphs back to her own.

Almost two minutes later, the paramedics have the girl on the stretcher and place her into the ambulance. Gibbs flashes his badge and climbs into the back with the girl. The door is shut.

The siren blares. The ambulance speeds away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

At the hospital, the young girl lies on a hospital bed after the surgery to repair the damage from the crash. The girl is in stable condition. Her vital signs are being monitored all the time and a nurse checks in every couple of minutes. Gibbs is in the room at her side; he's been sitting next to her ever since she got out of surgery. Gibbs should've been at work for the weekend shift a couple hours ago, but this is more important to him.

Gibbs stares at the young girl lying on the bed. He can't help but think how this is what it must have been like for his own daughter. Though the circumstances were different, they still share a resemblance. Of what he knows about what happened to Kelly, she briefly woke up for a couple seconds before slipping into a coma. When she finally woke up, she couldn't remember who she was. And that's when a new identity was created for her. The feelings about everything in regards to the situation flood him. He thinks what life would still be like if he never found his daughter. The thoughts about the inner torment of a broken heart used to dig into his shattered soul. Gibbs can't even imagine what life would be like to lose his daughter again, nor does he want to think about it.

"Ahem…" Fornell tries to get Gibbs' attention.

Gibbs turns his head to see who it is. He stands up, walks to the door and exits from the room. Gibbs and Fornell stand outside the room. The room has a large window so they can still see the girl.

"The girl's name is Julianna Sullivan. She's eight-years-old." Fornell said.

"What's your interest in the girl, Tobias?" Gibbs wondered why the FBI is here.

"Julianna's mother witnessed the execution of my material witness. My agent was bringing them in."

"The Calder case, I presume."

"Yes… That witness's testimony was vital to the prosecution. Vital to the entire investigation." Fornell stated. "Now, my entire case rests on whatever this girl possibly knows."

"If anything…"

"Yes, if anything." Fornell agreed the girl might not know anything at all. "Three years worth of long man-hours is about to go down the drain here, Jethro."

Fornell continues talking as Gibbs just listens. He's preoccupied with keeping an eye on Julianna.

"Protect her…" Gibbs heard another faint, familiar voice as he did at the crash scene. His ears perk up and he looks to the side. Down the hall he notices red hair. He can't see the face of the woman due to the angle at which he sees her. But his heartbeat increases. The style of the red hair is exactly like Shannon used to wear hers. Gibbs' body wants to move, to run toward her, but is frozen.

"Jethro…" Fornell tries to get his attention as he's wondering if Gibbs is even paying attention or not. He can tell Gibbs is distracted.

"Yeah…?" Gibbs turns his head.

"You seem distracted. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Gibbs turns his head and looks back down the hall. The red haired woman is gone. He looks back to the room where Julianna lies.

"Was her family contacted?" Gibbs asked.

"She has none." Fornell replied. "No grandparents… No aunts or uncles… Father died in Iraq three months ago…"

"And her mother died today."

"She's an orphan now, Jethro. Social Services will takeover as soon as we have answers and find the people responsible for this."

"If they wanted to keep mouths shut and find out Julianna is still alive…"

"She'll have twenty-four/seven round the clock protection."

Gibbs' cell-phone rings. He walks away in order to have privacy for the conversation. After a minute, he puts the phone away and approaches Fornell. The concerned eyes of Gibbs quickly move to the room. He stares at Julianna through the window.

"Keep me in the loop with this one, Tobias."

"NCIS has no jurisdiction…"

"I meant unofficially."

"Why? What's your interest in the girl, Jethro?"

There's a brief moment of silence.

"Cause I called her Kelly."

Gibbs walks away. Fornell is left standing there. Fornell still needs to get a statement from him about what he saw, but he's frozen in the thought of how close to home this hits Gibbs.

Some time passes.

Gibbs drives an NCIS truck into a cemetery. He parks the vehicle on the road closest to where he needs to be. Some equipment is grabbed from the back. Gibbs is alone.

He runs in the direction of a specific grave. There's a man waiting for him for at the gravesite. As he approaches, Gibbs' heart breaks at what he sees. He takes a deep breath before the anxiety takes hold of him. The grave is special to him.

The headstone is knocked down, broken and vandalized beyond any possible repair. There's a mount of dirt nearby; the grave was dug-up. The coffin at the bottom of the hole is open and the corpse is halfway out.

"You must be…" The cemetery coordinator tries to speak.

"Special Agent Gibbs…" Gibbs flashes his badge. "Did you touch anything?!"

"You told me not to touch anything. I just secured area and waited for you because your name is on the contact information."

Gibbs sets the evidence kit on the ground. He opens it and puts latex gloves on. Gibbs is so distraught over the desecration of the grave that he hasn't even looked in the hole.

"I've never seen anything like this, Special Agent Gibbs." The man said. "I've heard of grave robbers and necrophilia…" At this, Gibbs closes his eyes in the hopes, the sadness of possibly hearing or finding out the corpse was violated. "…But digging up a body just to urinate on it is pretty sick in itself."

Some relief sets upon him, but Gibbs still slams the evidence kit shut with the knowledge of knowing what happened. He refrains from going off on the man because what happened isn't his fault. Though, there shouldn't been better security. Gibbs takes a deep breath.

"I'll need to take the body." Gibbs stated.

"I can't release the body to you without…" The man begins to say. Gibbs immediately hands him a piece of paper; an emergency court order. The man starts reading it and wonders how on the earth he was able to obtain this on the weekend.

"It's a court order for the body to be released to NCIS."

The man continues reading the piece of paper.

"This seems to be in order." The man said. "The body is yours, Special Agent Gibbs." He walks away.

Gibbs stands there at the top of the hole. He looks down at the open coffin; looking at the corpse which lies halfway out of it.

"I'm sorry…" Gibbs apologized to the corpse below. It takes all of his strength to hold back the tears from exploding from his eyes.

For a couple minutes he stands there staring at what's below.

"Save her…" The familiar voice returns.

Gibbs looks around in every direction. No one is there. He begins to think whether he's losing grip on reality or not. Maybe what happened today with the car crash triggered something in his head.

There's a small latter on the side of the hole which the groundskeeper placed before the cemetery coordinator stepped in. Gibbs climbs down into the hole. Each footstep placed on the small latter feels like a stab to his heart.

Once at the bottom of the hole, Gibbs places his hands on the small latter. His eyes shut. He leans forward. Lightheadedness is what he feels. Gibbs hasn't even looked at the corpse while inside the hole yet and he already feels like he's going to faint.

Gibbs finally turns around. The corpse is in direct view. He immediately falls to his knees. A flood of memories hit him. A deep breath is taken. Sadness quickly takes hold of him. A single tear rolls down his cheek.

With the utmost respect, he takes a sample from the corpse. After taking the sample, he gently and carefully places the corpse back inside the coffin. For the age of the corpse, it's remarkably well preserved. The lid is closed. Gibbs sits there on his knees and places his hand on the top of the coffin. He just looks at it for a couple minutes. Gibbs pays his respects to the body inside.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Gibbs returns to NCIS Headquarters with the coffin. The doors to Autopsy open. Ducky looks up from his desk as Gibbs wheels a child-sized coffin into the room.

"I was unaware we were exhuming a body today." Ducky stated in surprise at seeing a coffin coming into Autopsy. He stands and walks to where Gibbs wheeled the coffin to.

"We didn't."

"Than…"

"I need you to clean the body as best you can, Duck."

With looking at the size of the coffin and knowing of Gibbs' past, he has a presumption of who lies inside.

"Is this…" Ducky stops himself from finishing the question. The expression on Gibbs' face as he stares at the coffin says it all. Ducky knows who it is. "I'll take good care of her, Jethro."

"This is unofficial, Dr. Mallard. Don't worry about protocol. Don't tell anyone about this either. And treat her with respect."

"I treat them all with respect, Jethro."

"I know, Duck."

Gibbs walks away with an evidence bag in hand. Ducky wheels the coffin toward one of the tables. The coffin is opened. He immediately smells the stench of urine. A second is taken to look at the young, decayed corpse. It amazes him how well preserved the body is; especially with knowing how old it is, or at least having a rough idea of the age.

"Lets get you cleaned up, my dear." Ducky said as he carefully takes the body from the coffin and places it onto the table. "I know how much you mean to Jethro. He cared deeply for you… And he still cares deeply for you. I can see it in his eyes."

A couple minutes later, Gibbs enters into the Forensics Lab. Abby is in the middle of the room processing case evidence for another team. Upon entering into the lab, Gibbs cringes as the loud music is overwhelming even for him. Abby is dancing around in place and doesn't even notice Gibbs standing there because she's so consumed by her flow of music. He walks to the stereo and turns the volume down. Abby stops dancing. She smiles at Gibbs.

"In your hands I see a Caf-Pow and an evidence bag." Abby observed as Gibbs approaches. "Usually with your investigations you have a lot more evidence than that."

"This is unofficial evidence which is to be kept between us, Abs." Gibbs stated. He hands her the highly caffeinated drink. "I need you to run this urine sample against my DNA."

Abby officially has a confused expression upon her face.

"You forgot you peed on something and need to make sure you didn't…" Abby begins to speculate as she's trying to figure out what exactly is going on.

"Use my DNA as a reference in finding a partial match."

"You want me to determine if the urine is a sibling." She somewhat gets an idea of what this pertains to. "Ooh… What did your brother pee on?"

"Someone he shouldn't have..."

Gibbs walks away because he wants to say no more on the matter with who it deals with. Abby is left to wonder who he meant. She didn't even get the chance to ask when he wants this done by. Gibbs was too quick to leave.

Up on the third floor, the rest of the team is sitting around with nothing to actually do. They have no case to work on at all. McGee is on his MySpace page; in contact with a person he recently found while doing a search. Ziva is reading a magazine. And Tony is crumpling up papers and throwing them into McGee's trashcan. Each of them is bored out of their minds.

"Can this get any more boring?" Tony wondered as he grabs his cane because he feels the need to walk around a bit. "I hate working weekend shifts." Using the cane, he limps out into the middle of the bullpen.

"Weekend shifts are only once a month, Tony." McGee stated.

"That's easy for you to say, Probie. You don't actually have a life. Or a date…"

"We all have better things we can be doing with our weekend, Tony." Ziva said.

"I could be at the park with Jamie and Chioke right now, but nooooo. I have to be here." Tony said. "I have an injured leg. I should be excused from being here."

"This isn't school, Tony. You can't just bring in a doctor's note and expect special treatment all the time." McGee said. "Besides, your leg was injured three weeks ago."

"The injury was pretty severe, Probie." Tony defended himself. "How would you like it if a steel rod was stabbed into your leg and left a rather big hole? Than we'll see how much you…"

"You've been milking the cane for three weeks." McGee argued.

"And it appears from your posture that you really don't need it anymore." Ziva stated.

"I haven't been milking special treatment or privileges… Much."

"Going home early… Coming in late… Taking almost three hour lunches…" Ziva begins to say.

"You've hardly been here the last three weeks." McGee added.

"My leg hurts."

There's a moment of silence as Tony thinks about three weeks ago.

"I just got an idea!" Tony exclaimed.

"Changing the subject?" Ziva wondered.

"Yes… But that's not the point." Tony said. "With Gibbs and his brother Jared… They've fought two times already. Gibbs won fight number one. Jared won fight number two. We should do a pool as to who will win fight number three. Hundred dollar bets."

"You want to do a fight pool with the contenders being Gibbs and his brother…?" McGee's wondering if he heard this correctly.

"Come on… It'll be fun."

"I highly doubt Gibbs will appreciate a pool started on who will win fight number three between two brothers who have some unresolved issues between them." Ziva stated.

"He'll never know." Tony laughed. Both Ziva and McGee put their heads down and pretend to work. "Two brothers… Two warriors… Both with scores to settle… Both with reasons to hate the other…" Obviously, Tony didn't take the hint. "…One an ex-Marine turned NCIS special agent. The other, a cold-blooded manipulative serial kil…" He finally notices McGee's not paying attention. "He's behind me, isn't he?"

"Are you enjoying yourself, Gimpy?" Gibbs asked. "Hundred dollar bets seem a little high."

"This leg injury is really messing with my psychological state of mind, Boss. Maybe I need a week off." Tony stated. He turns slightly to face Gibbs. "You wouldn't hit an injured man, would you?"

"Nah… Of course not."

Gibbs smacks Tony on the back of the head. Afterwards, he grabs the cane and walks to his desk.

"I kind of still need the cane to walk, Boss. Injured leg in all."

"No you don't."

"The doctor said for me to take it easy…"

"Vigorous activities which take place in the bedroom late at night are not considered taking it easy, Gimpy."

"I know Jamie can be loud in bed, but there's no way you heard…" Tony notices Gibbs glaring at him and realizes mentioning sex and his daughter in the same sentence wasn't smart. "I'll just sit down now." He limps to his desk and sits down.

While seated, Tony wonders how on earth Gibbs can possibly know him and Jamie had sex last night. For three weeks they've been living in their own house. Granted the house is right next door to Gibbs, but not even Chioke heard what was going on in the room down the hall. Or at least now he hopes Chioke didn't.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

At a local park in the Washington D.C. area, Jamie sits on a park bench while keeping an eye on Chioke. Jamie is the only one who isn't required to work weekend shifts at NCIS because she's not a full-time employee, not yet anyway. Chioke runs to the swings. He waves over Jamie to come over. She complies with the request.

"Are you having fun?" Jamie asked as she approaches.

'I have good time. Wish daddy can be here.' Chioke signed with his hands.

"I wish he could have been too."

'Want you push me.'

Chioke sits on the swing. Jamie takes hold and gently pushes him. A smile stretches across his face as he enjoys the swings.

Jamie pushes him for a couple minutes.

Chioke finally gets off the swings and runs to the sandbox where a couple other children are playing. Jamie walks back to the bench. Chioke sits in the far corner of the sandbox and watches the other kids.

For a couple minutes he watches the other kids to get a feel for what they're playing. Also, to figure out if it's something he would be interested in getting involved in. For those few minutes, he plays quietly in the corner of the sandbox. He finally gathers enough courage within himself to approach the other children.

'Can I play?' Chioke signed with his hands.

None of the kids say anything or even look at Chioke, as if they don't even notice he's there. Grabbing anyone's attention is harder for Chioke due to not having a voice. He takes this into account. Chioke tries again, but this time he taps one of the children on the shoulder. The child looks to him. As do the others.

'Can I play?' Chioke signed.

"Is there something you want?" One of the children wondered.

'I want play with you.'

"Why do you keep moving your hands?" Another child asked.

"Say something already." A child demanded.

'I not able to speak. I mute. Speak with hands.'

"This kid is a dork, Terrance. Ignore him." Philip said.

"Wait…" Terrance is curious. "Are you able to speak?"

Chioke shakes his head back and forth to signify; no.

"The freak can't speak." Philip laughed.

"That's funny!" Terrance also laughed.

"Freak who can't speak! Freak who can't speak!" All of the children laugh at Chioke.

Tears roll down Chioke's face as they all laugh at him for not being able to speak. An overpowering sadness causes Chioke to run away from the sandbox; running away from the children who are making fun of him.

He approaches the bench where Jamie is talking with one of the other parents. Chioke tugs on her shirt. She looks to him.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Jamie immediately asked in concern for why her child is crying. She begins to wipe his tears away.

'I want leave. Want go home.' Chioke signed. 'Not want be here.'

Jamie lifts the crying Chioke into her lap. She tries to comfort him.

"Before going home, we'll stop at NCIS to see daddy." Jamie said. "Would that help you feel better?"

Chioke nods his head. He wraps his arms around his mother and continues to cry. Jamie finally stands up and walks away with Chioke in her arms. As they move further and further away, Chioke watches the children in the sandbox continuing to have a good time playing their games.

For Chioke, this is the first time in his life he actually hates not being able to speak. The feeling that there's something wrong with him sets in. Worthlessness also creeps into his mind. As he continues watching the other children have fun, he wants more than anything to be able to speak; to have a voice. Not having a voice has never made him feel this bad before. Making friends in Nigeria was never this difficult. He wants his voice back. He wants to be liked. He wants to make friends.

Jamie and Chioke arrive at NCIS Headquarters. Chioke isn't crying anymore and is calm, yet, he's still sad over what happened at the park. He doesn't understand why the other children were mean. Compared to the people of Nigeria, Americans are much different in personality; this is the factor he doesn't understand. He's adjusted to life in America, but some things are harder to learn than others.

The two of them enter into the building and get inside the elevator. They step out onto the third floor. At the sight of Tony sitting at his desk, Chioke finally cracks a smile. They enter into the bullpen.

"There's my little guy!" Tony exclaimed in excitement of seeing his adopted son. Chioke lets go of Jamie's hand and runs around the desk to Tony.

Gibbs looks up from behind his own desk. He stares his daughter Jamie. The thought of Julianna's situation with how it resembles Jamie's from sixteen years ago is what he hasn't been able to stop thinking about. The situation hits him too close to home because he's starting to understand what Jamie actually went through. A tear feels like it wants to escape from his eye. Just the sight of Jamie makes him feel lucky to be alive. He stands up and walks to her.

As her father approaches, Jamie smiles. He embraces her. The feeling of this hug doesn't seem like all the others she's ever received in her entire life. He says nothing. But the warmth of the hug says it all to her. He's grateful to have her. She's his miracle.

Gibbs backs away from her a bit and looks into her eyes.

"I love you." Gibbs said as he kisses her on the forehead. He walks away.

"I love you too, dad."

Gibbs walks to the elevator. He steps inside and presses a button. The doors close. Inside the elevator, he can't help but feel an overwhelming happiness that a part of Shannon still lives in their daughter Jamie. Jamie is both of them; Shannon and Jethro.

A single tear rolls down Gibbs' cheek as he remembers how the doctor said Shannon would never be able to conceive a child. Months later, she told him she was pregnant. Gibbs will never forget the joy he felt that day. The couple that was never supposed to produce a child gave birth to a little miracle. And that little miracle grew-up to be a wonderful person; a wonderful person who miraculously survived tragic circumstances.

Gibbs makes his way to the hospital to go see Julianna.

Once at the hospital and the car is parked, Gibbs turns the key which shuts the car off. A deep breath is taken. He sits in the car for a couple minutes in order to think.

"Only you can protect her." The familiar voice returns.

Gibbs' attention is sparked. The car door is quickly opened. He exits from the vehicle and looks around. No one is there. The memories of Shannon flood his mind. He wants so badly for her to be alive because he misses her so much.

Gibbs finally hears a horn honking in front of him.

"Move your ass!" The man in the car yelled.

Gibbs moves out of the way. The car speeds away. As Gibbs walks to the door to get inside the hospital, he keeps looking around the parking lot in the hopes something will catch his eye; more like a red-headed someone.

He enters into the hospital and makes his way to the second floor. Gibbs walks in the direction of Julianna's room. While on route to the room, he sees a woman at the end of the hall. She turns and smiles at him. Gibbs' heartbeat increases due to the recognition of who it is. He runs in the direction.

At the end of the hall, he looks to the right as that's the direction the woman went. Gibbs sees the red hair go through a door. He runs after her. A couple seconds later, he's inside the stairwell. He looks up and looks down. She's heading down to the basement.

"Wait!" Gibbs exclaimed. He starts to run down the stairs as quickly as he can. Once at the bottom of the stairwell, he takes hold of the door he saw the woman enter into. The door is opened. "Shannon!" He yelled for her as the door swings open and he looks around. The janitor wonders what this man is doing as he's not supposed to be on the basement floor.

"Excuse me, Sir…" The janitor tries to get his attention.

"The woman who came down here… Which way did she go?"

"Woman…?" The janitor is confused.

"She came through here less than a minute before me."

"I've been in this area for a while. No one came through here. You're the first person I've seen in an hour."

Gibbs chuckles at how retarded he probably sounds to this man. He knows the man probably thinks he's crazy. Even Gibbs himself is thinking he's crazy chasing after ghosts.

"Thanks…"

Gibbs goes through the door he just came out of. He starts to walk up the stairs. Halfway up the stairs, he stops. His butt plants itself on one of the steps. He leans against the wall.

"I miss you…" He said as he thinks about Shannon.

Gibbs remains on the stairs for a couple minutes. He remains there in order to collect himself from these figments of his seemingly overactive imagination. Chasing ghosts was obviously brought about by today's events and how much his heart longs for Shannon. His longing for Shannon is something he's been hiding for a long time now. Even with having their daughter in his life, his heart still suffers without the woman he never stopped loving.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Gibbs finally exits from the stairwell onto the second floor. He leisurely walks to the wing where Julianna's room is. There are two police officers standing outside the room. Gibbs is relieved at the sight of the protection detail. He approaches the room. The police stop him.

"I'm sorry, Sir. You don't have clearance to enter this room."

"Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS…" He flashed his badge.

The police move to allow Gibbs in as he's on the clearance list of people allowed to enter into the room.

Once in the room, he freezes at the sight of Julianna lying on the hospital bed. All these wires and tubes are connected to her to keep track of her vital signs. An IV drip is plugged into her arm. On the IV rack are three different bags which all attach to the IV drip. An oxygen tube is stretched across her upper lip; the oxygen tube is feeding oxygen directly into her nose. She's lying on her right side due to her major injury being on her left side; she's facing the side of the room with the door. While lying on her right side, Julianna's left leg is being held in traction to relieve pressure to it. Gibbs has seen all of this before when he was here least. And just like last time, the sight of Julianna in this state makes him feel saddened for the girl.

He finally pulls a chair up to the bed; right next to it. Gibbs sits down and looks at the girl. The visible bruising and other wounds make him wish he could've done more to prevent this from happening. The sad fact of this poor girl now being an orphan breaks his heart. She has no one. In the last three months, Julianna lost both of her parents; something that should never happen to a child, especially at her young age.

Gibbs' hand slowly reaches forward. He gently takes hold of Julianna's hand.

"Something or someone, maybe it's just in my head… I can't even determine which anymore… It keeps telling me to protect you, Julianna." Gibbs said softly. "I promise you I'll do everything in my power to do just that."

Gibbs takes a deep breath as what he sees in Julianna, is his own daughter. A daughter who, after her own car crash, laid in a hospital bed for a couple months with no one there to be at her side. Those were slightly different circumstances back then as he had no idea she was still alive at the time. But this time, even though Julianna isn't his daughter, he knows she's alive and plans on being at her side. He's all she has.

A minute passes.

"Sorry for calling you Kelly earlier." He apologized. "The situation reminded me of…" Gibbs paused as he looks at her motionless body; except for the motion of her shallow breathing. He's sighs at the thought of what his own daughter went through in this situation. He takes out his cell-phone and turns it off completely. The cell-phone is set down on the table to the side of bed. "I don't know if you've ever heard the story; The Velveteen Rabbit. It's my daughter's favorite story. I must have read it to her thousands of times already. She'll be twenty-four in a couple weeks and still loves it when I read the story to her." He chuckled a bit. Gibbs takes a minute to recall the story. "The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams… There was once a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning he was really splendid. He was fat and bunchy, as a rabbit should be…" He begins telling the story to her.

With reciting the story, The Velveteen Rabbit, Gibbs is doing it off the top of his head. He can recite the story word for word without needing the actual story book. It's committed to memory.

At the door is Fornell who came to check-up on his witness; alleged witness, as it's unclear if she even knows anything. He doesn't bother entering into the room or even saying anything to disrupt Gibbs from reciting the story for Julianna. Fornell remains at the door and thinks for a minute.

With Gibbs reciting a children's story for a girl he doesn't even know, it makes Fornell believe in the power of the human spirit. He cracks a smile. Fornell quietly walks away as this story-telling is Julianna's time.

Gibbs remains at Julianna's bedside until sometime in the early night. Before leaving for the night, he kisses Julianna on the forehead. He finally leaves the hospital to go home.

Once home, he enters inside. For the first time in a long time he's unable to decide what he wants to do. Usually, he'll go into the basement to work on the boat. But today is different for him. Finally, Gibbs walks upstairs. He walks into his bedroom and directly to the closet. The closet door is opened. The hanging shirts, suit jackets and dress pants are pushed to either side. In the back of the closet is what he wants.

In the back of the closet is a whole bunch of Shannon's personal belongings. A couple boxes worth of them. Gibbs sighs as he sits down and pulls out one of the boxes. He looks through it. A specific item catches his eye.

The item isn't so much Shannon's personal belonging, but both of theirs. The item is the Jethro/Shannon wedding album filled with all of their wedding photos. Every happy memory of the joyful day they fully committed to each other lies inside this one photo album. He starts flipping through the album; taking the time to carefully examine each and every photo in order to recall the exact time each was taken.

Gibbs quickly flips to the back of the wedding album, with making sure to not lose his place in the pages. In the back of the photo album is a small, velvet bag which once belonged to Shannon. It once held her grandmother's necklace; a necklace Shannon was buried with. Now, the velvet bag holds something else of grave importance. He takes the small bag and flips back to the page in the album he left off at.

The small, velvet bag is opened. The contents of the bag are dumped onto Gibbs' palm. He stares at the wedding rings. The reflection of the past causes him to close his eyes.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs, do you take Shannon Elizabeth Mitchell to be your lawfully wedded wife... To live together in the covenant of faith, hope and love according to the ordinances of God in the holy bond of marriage… Will you stand by her in sickness or in health… In poverty or in wealth… In triumph as well as defeat… In joy as well as sorrow… To remain faithful and shun all others… To honor and cherish her for as long as you both shall live?"

Gibbs recalls the pledge the priest stated that day. His eyes open. He looks at a picture of Shannon in her wedding dress. As he stares at the picture, Gibbs slowly places the traditional, gold wedding band on his ring finger.

"I do." Gibbs said with a tear in his eye.

Gibbs stares at the picture of Shannon as he reminisces about their life together. Sitting there remembering the time in his life when happiness and joy filled every corner of his very existence. His heart, his soul was complete because Shannon was at his side.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

On a warm, sunny day two children make their way down a path in the woods. One of the children didn't want to leave the house but his older brother forced him too. The younger brother, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, complied out of fear of the older brother, Jared Lucas Gibbs. The two make their way through the woods in the direction of a bridge. The bridge is old and is never used anymore because a new, more efficient route was made a couple years earlier. The bridge used to harbor railroad tracks before they were removed. After the removal of the railroad tracks, the bridge was supposed to be made into a walk/bike path, but was quickly forgotten.

After a long hike through the woods, the two boys enter into a clearing.

"Wait for me Leroy!" A five-year-old girl yelled in the distance of still being on the path in the woods.

Leroy stops and waits for his younger sister as he was unaware she followed them. The older brother, Jared, sighs in anger at the thought of their little sister tagging along when she wasn't welcome; not from him anyway. Jared shakes his head and continues walking toward the bridge as he doesn't want to be near their sister because he hates her.

Kelly finally reaches the clearing. She immediately places her hand into Leroy's. They walk happily with each other in a loving, sibling way. Leroy cares deeply for her.

"Stay close to me." Leroy said. He's concerned about Kelly getting close to the edge of the bridge, but more worried for her in regards to their mean, hateful brother.

Jared looks at them in disgust over the sibling bond they share. They share a bond which he can't help but feel the urge to shatter the existence of with how much he despises them both; particularly Kelly. What angers him even more is the fact that their abusive father refrains from abusing Kelly. Only Jared and Leroy are being abused. Jared hates her for this as he sees it as unfair. His anger toward Kelly grows. He turns, sees a bird with a broken wing wobbling around and without hesitation, he kicks it as hard as he can. Jared smiles evilly at what he just did.

The three of them walk to the bridge. Jared makes sure to stay clear of being too close to them as he's more of a loner than anything. As for Leroy, he makes sure to stick close to Kelly in order to keep an eye on her.

"Get over here, brother. Check out this dead animal." Jared demanded as he's poking at a dead animal on the bridge. A couple seconds pass. Leroy didn't comply. His head turns in anger. "Get over here now!"

"Kelly doesn't want…"

"I don't care what she wants! I told YOU to come here, not her!" Jared yelled. "Get over here or I swear to God I'll beat the living shit out of you."

Kelly clutches onto Leroy because their brother frightens her when he yells.

"Jared, you're scaring her."

Jared angrily walks over to them. Leroy gently pushes Kelly behind himself. Jared grabs Leroy by the arm in a violent fashion. He squeezes as hard as he can.

"Ow!" Leroy cried as his brother's vice-like grip is painful.

"Let him go! You're so mean!" Kelly defended her brother by hitting the other with her little fists.

Jared shoves Kelly in a rough manner. She falls to the ground and scrapes her arm on a piece of wood. Kelly starts crying. Leroy begins to struggle with Jared; something he normally doesn't do with how Jared frightens him.

Jared blocks a swing from his brother and quickly punches him in the stomach. He drags Leroy in the direction of the dead animal. Kelly stands up. Leroy looks at her in concern for her to remain where she is.

"Don't move from that spot. I'm fine… Stay there." Leroy stated when really he's just trying to compose himself in a non-hurt manner for her. Kelly nods her head in acknowledgment of what her brother said.

Kelly stays where she is. She rubs her arm as a couple tears continue rolling down her cheeks.

Jared shoves Leroy to the ground, close to the dead animal. The stench of the dead animal is overpowering to Leroy. He feels sickly from the smell.

"Isn't that cool, brother!" Jared exclaimed in the excitement of seeing the blood and innards of the animal.

After a minute, Jared lets go of his brother. Leroy tries to remain calm as he knows he has absolutely no chance of standing up to someone bigger than him. Besides the fact Jared frightens him more than their abusive father does.

Leroy walks in the direction of Kelly who is near the edge of the bridge, but in the same spot she said she would stay.

Seeing the smile on Kelly's face fills Jared with such hatred, anger and rage. He can't stand his hatred for her anymore. Jared charges in their direction.

"Leroy, watch out!" Kelly shouted.

Before Leroy can turn around, he jolts forward. Jared had already pushed him. Leroy stumbles in Kelly's direction. Without any way to stop himself, Leroy bumps into Kelly. She stumbles towards the edge of the bridge without any way to stop.

As Leroy hits the ground, his only concern is his sister who he sees is getting closer to the edge. Jared smiles sinisterly as Kelly stumbles toward the edge of the bridge. What he wanted to happen is happening.

Kelly screams as she falls off the side of the bridge. Leroy is quick to run to her aid. He looks over the edge.

"Leroy, help me!" Kelly screamed as she hangs from a bar a couple feet down.

"Hold on!" Leroy exclaimed in concern for his sister who needs help. He turns to look at his brother. "Help!"

Jared laughs as he has no intention of helping. Leroy turns and tries to reach for Kelly.

"I want to go home." Kelly cried.

"Give me your hand!" Leroy shouted as he reaches for her.

As Kelly's hand moves upward to reach for her brother, she slips. Now, the only thing keeping her from fully falling are her hands gripping onto the bar. It's an even worse position than before because she's just hanging there with no real bodily support. Still, Leroy tries to rescue her.

"Help me, Leroy!" Kelly cried.

"I can almost reach you." Leroy said as his fingers are inches away from being able to grab her. There's only one problem; his arms are too short so as close as he is, is as close as he can get.

"I can't hold on." Kelly cried.

"Don't let go!" Leroy exclaimed as he watches her fingers begin to slip.

Seconds later, Kelly drops.

"Leroy!!!" Kelly screamed as she falls.

Leroy watches in horror as his sister plummets to her death. The shock of seeing his sister die prevents tears from being released. Jared looks over the edge of the bridge. He laughs. The first real anger Leroy ever felt is at this very moment. But the anger is quickly subsided from the overwhelming sadness of losing his beloved sister. For the next couple of minutes he lies there looking over the edge at the bottom; looking at the body of his dead sister. The expression on her face as she fell plays over and over inside his head.

Gibbs wakes up in a cold sweat. His breathing is heavy. Heartbeat is rapid. Reliving the horror of the day he lost his sister causes him to cry. The tears roll down his cheeks. No matter how well a man can control his emotions, sometimes there's no fighting the tears.

After a couple minutes, Gibbs puts some clothes on. He leaves the house and walks next door; the house his daughter Jamie and son-in-law Tony live in. He approaches the front door. Gibbs really needs to talk to his daughter because he's having trouble handling today; especially the nightmare he had. The realization of the time hits him. He refrains from waking them up.

Gibbs walks to his car. He drives away.

Gibbs enters into the Navy Yard. The car is parked. He enters into NCIS Headquarters.

The door to Autopsy opens. Gibbs enters. At the sight of the child-sized coffin, he's frozen where he stands.

"Leroy!!!" Kelly's scream rings through his head.

The expression on Kelly's face as she fell from the bridge begins to replay in his mind over and over again. Gibbs shakes it off.

Gibbs tries harder than ever to hold the emotion in. A stool is grabbed from the side of the room. Gibbs sets the stool next to the coffin and sits down. With sadness in his heart, he looks at the coffin. Nothing can tame the emptiness he feels at the devastating loss of his sister.

"She needs you to save her…" The familiar voice returns.

Gibbs looks around the room. No one is there. He looks to the coffin again.

"I tried…" Gibbs said as a tear rolls down his cheek.

"You can still save her…"

"How…?"

"Faith…"

Gibbs places his hand on top of the coffin. Kelly was the closest friend he had as a child; the only friend he had. She was his sister; his only sister. Five-years-old when she died. From that day forth, he refused to be called by his first name. For Gibbs, the day his sister Kelly died is the day the name Leroy died as well.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sunday**

**Chapter 7**

The team is at NCIS Headquarters. The weekend shift has been a drag for them because they've each been sitting at the desks with nothing to work on yet. The only one who hasn't seemed to mind the weekend shift is Gibbs. Though, Gibbs has hardly spent any time at NCIS Headquarters so far this weekend. Most of his time was spent at the hospital instead of work.

Tony, Ziva and McGee are sitting at their desks doing the same exact thing they were doing the previous day. McGee is once again on his MySpace page chatting with someone. Ziva is once again reading a magazine. And Tony is once again tossing crumbled-up pieces of paper into McGee's trashcan.

Gibbs enters into the bullpen. The expression on Gibbs' face is something the others have never seen before in their entire lives; entire lives work under Gibbs. As they look up at Gibbs walking to his desk, neither of them can even think of a way to describe his facial expression. Each of them notices something extremely odd.

Gibbs grabs something from his desk and leaves the bullpen. Eventually, he completely leaves the area.

Tony, Ziva and McGee are left in a speechless shock at what they saw.

A minute passes.

"Did my eyes play a trick on me or…" McGee begins to say in the shock of what he saw.

"I saw it too." Ziva assured McGee what he saw was real.

"Gibbs got married." Tony stated in the shock of seeing a wedding band on the boss's ring finger.

"Who has he been seeing?" McGee wondered.

Both Ziva and McGee look to Tony for an answer to the wedding band mystery. Tony realizes he's been stared at.

"Just because I'm married to his daughter doesn't mean I know things you don't." Tony stated. "Well… I do know things you don't. But nothing about what we just saw… I have absolutely no idea who he married."

For the next twenty minutes the three of them speculate about who the mystery woman could possibly be.

Gibbs re-enters into the bullpen. Once again, the team stares at his left hand; particularly his ring finger. Gibbs stashes a file in his desk. He looks up. The team looks away or down.

"DiNozzo…" Gibbs tries to get his attention.

"Yes Boss?" Tony wondered.

"Since we don't have a case to work on or anything to do, there's no point in you being here." Gibbs stated. "Take Chioke to the park or something. Spend the day with him."

"Really…?" Tony is confused whether Gibbs is messing around with him or not.

Gibbs walks to the front of Tony's desk.

"Enjoy the rest of the day, Tony." He said. Gibbs looks to McGee. "You can continue chatting on MySpace." He looks to Ziva. "There are some magazines in the top drawer of my desk if you get bored with the ones you have."

Gibbs walks away. The team is left puzzled. Tony is in complete shock at Gibbs being nice by giving him permission to leave.

"He's not dying, is he?" McGee wondered.

"Maybe stress finally got to him." Ziva said.

"A nice Gibbs is a scary Gibbs." Tony stated. "But nice Gibbs gave me permission to leave so I'm not going to stick around to speculate why. See you two tomorrow!"

Tony stands up, grabs his things and limps out of the bullpen. Once in the area between the partition and the wall, his movement is faster.

"Ah-ha!" Ziva exclaimed as she's standing in order to watch Tony's posture as he makes his way to the elevator. She witnesses him walking with a very slight limp. "I knew you didn't need a cane anymore!"

"My leg still does kind of hurt." Tony said.

"You were practically running to the elevator, Tony."

"Key word being; practically… I wasn't quite running, Ziva."

"It wasn't quite walking either. It's amazing how you limp when in the bullpen, but when behind the partition, your limp magically disappears."

"He got too used to the sympathy and special treatment." McGee stated.

"Okay… So the special treatment was nice. Sue me!" Tony turns to walk to the elevator. The button is pressed and waits patiently for the elevator to arrive.

Ziva sits down with a smile stretched across her face because she caught Tony.

With the elevator on route to the third floor, Tony turns around to say one last thing before leaving in a couple seconds.

"By the way, Ziva…" Tony begins to say to get Ziva's attention as he walks halfway between the elevator and where her desk is located. She stands and looks to him. "Shannon gave him that ring on their wedding day. I saw it a while and recognized it." He grins. Ziva throws a book at him for wasting all that unnecessary speculation time when he already had the answer. "Ah!" He dodges the book attack.

Tony quickly gets on the elevator before Ziva comes after him for not saying anything about the wedding band until now.

Gibbs arrives at the hospital.

Gibbs enters into Julianna's room. The girl is in the exact same status she was the previous day. There's been no real change in her condition.

He sits in the chair next to the bed. Gibbs gently places his hand into Julianna's hand. No words are spoken from Gibbs because his personal connection to her is greater than he ever thought possible. Even though Julianna has been unconscious since the crash, he finds himself caring deeply for the girl lying in front of him.

Almost an hour later, Jamie enters into the room.

"Wow…" Jamie is amazed at how easy it was for her to enter into the room. "I just said my name and they let me in. I actually have clearance."

"Fornell put you on the clearance list for me." Gibbs said.

"That was nice of him."

"You're a social worker working with the prosecution."

Jamie giggles slightly as she shakes her head. The two of them fabricated a specialty linking her to the case just so she can get into the room with no problems.

"You and Tobias are bad influences on each other." Jamie stated as she approaches her father who is sitting in the chair next to the bed. She stands behind the chair, crouches down a bit and wraps her arms around her father's neck.

"How did you know I would be here?" Gibbs wondered.

"Daughter's intuition."

"You know me too well."

"If I didn't, than I wouldn't be a Gibbs." She said proudly. There's a brief moment of silence as both of them look at Julianna. "How is she doing?"

"There's been no change in her condition at all."

Jamie grabs the only other chair in the room and puts it next to her father's chair. She sits down.

A couple minutes pass.

Suddenly, the flat lining of a heart monitor is heard. Without any type of warning, Julianna's heart stopped.

Gibbs quickly presses the emergency bell to ring the nurses. He runs to the door.

"Help!" Gibbs shouted. "Her heart stopped!"

A doctor and two nurses quickly enter into the room. One of the nurses wheels in a defibrillator. The other nurse takes Julianna's leg out of traction. The doctor does what he can to try to stabilize the girl while the defibrillator is charging.

Gibbs and Jamie are standing near the wall to remain out of the way. All they can do is watch.

With the defibrillator charging, the doctor pulls Julianna's hospital gown down in order to expose her chest. The doctor takes hold of the defibrillator paddles, squeezes a liquid onto them and rubs them together. The charge is complete.

"Clear!" The doctor yelled as he places the paddles to Julianna's chest.

Julianna is zapped. There's no change in her condition. The heart monitor still reads a flat line.

"Clear!" He zaps her again.

There's still no change.

As the doctor continues to zap Julianna with the defibrillator, Jamie places her hand into her father's. Jamie breathes heavily as she becomes slightly lightheaded. The situation escalated into what she experienced sixteen years ago. She knows what happened but all she really remembers is waking up, seeing a doctor, her chest hurting and her eyes quickly closing. She was only awake for a couple seconds before slipping into a coma. But those were the longest couple of seconds in her entire life.

The doctor finally stops and calls the time of death.

"Keep trying!" Jamie exclaimed. "Don't give up on her! Zap her again!"

"We did all we could." The doctor said.

Jamie plunges forward and grabs the paddles to the defibrillator. Gibbs is practically frozen as the feeling of what he felt like to lose his daughter the first time hits him like a ton of bricks. Jamie and the doctor struggle over possession of the defibrillator. She won't accept it's over. She can't accept it. Jamie was given a second chance because of a man not giving up on her when her heart stopped. With how the situation reminds her of her, she can't give up on the girl.

"You have to zap her again!" Jamie exclaimed as she continues to struggle with the doctor. The nurses grab Jamie. "We can't give up! Don't give up! Zap her!"

"Trust our daughter…" The familiar voice returns. Gibbs is too in shock to even look around this time.

Before even realizing, Gibbs has the paddles of the defibrillator in hand. He places them to Julianna's chest.

"Clear!" Gibbs shouted. He zaps her.

The heart monitor starts beeping. It reads a heartbeat.

The situation calms as the nurses and doctor stabilize the patient.

Gibbs backs away in the shock of what he just did. He's not shocked over the fact that one zap brought her back, but more for the fact he's questioning his belief, his faith in an afterlife. Questioning whether or not Shannon is actually speaking to him. That the personal connection to the situation is what's giving Shannon the means to communicate with him. Is she trying to reach him? If so, what exactly she does she want? Is there a hidden meaning behind her communications? Or is he just losing grip with reality because it's all in his head?


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

With having the rest of the day off, Tony is taking Gibbs' advice to spend time with Chioke by taking him to the park. Jamie is still at the hospital with her father, so it's just father/son time for Tony and Chioke.

The car is parked. Both of them exit from the vehicle. They walk into the park. Chioke notices the two boys from the previous day; the ones who made fun of him. Those boys made fun of him over something which is not within his control; he lost his voice after losing his entire family then being shot himself, all at the age of four. Though, he can't help but feel saddened from being different and having trouble making friends outside of school.

"You want to go to the sandbox?" Tony wondered. "I know how you love…"

'Not want go to sandbox. I want do something else.' Chioke signed with his hands. The two boys are at the sandbox, so he wants to avoid being near them.

"I brought a couple things. We have a mini basketball..."

'First one to the court wins.'

Chioke cheerfully runs in the direction of the blacktop where there's a small basketball court which is free at the moment.

"Hey! I wasn't ready!" Tony exclaimed as he runs after him. He runs with a slight limp because his leg is still healing from the wound he acquired three weeks ago.

Tony and Chioke are racing to the basketball court. Tony is trailing behind; purposely. A couple seconds later, Chioke victoriously jumps up and down in the excitement of beating his father to the basketball court. Tony finally approaches.

"You beat me." Tony said.

'You let me win.'

"You give me too much credit. You're a fast little guy. I really couldn't keep up with you."

The two of them walk closer to one of the hoops. They start playing.

As they play, each time Chioke wants to take a shot, Tony lifts him up onto his shoulders. Being on Tony's shoulders gives Chioke a better chance to actually get something in the hoop due to being closer to it. Each time Chioke is able to make a shot while on Tony's shoulders, he starts clapping in excitement. Tony cheers him on each time.

After shooting hoops for a while, the two of them go to the car to switch the basketball with a soccer ball. They walk out into the grassy field of the park.

"Let's invite those other kids to play with us." Tony said as he looks at the two boys playing in the sandbox. Chioke looks in the direction and becomes saddened. Tony kneels down close to him as he can tell something is wrong. "What's wrong?"

'I not like not having voice.' Chioke signed. 'I want voice back. Can make happen?'

"I… Umm…" Tony is surprised at what Chioke is communicating as he was never expecting it. "Chioke, I…"

'Find doctor to give voice back. Find doctor to fix me.'

"Chioke… You don't need to be fixed because there's nothing wrong with you." Tony stated.

'Boys make fun of me.' Chioke signed sadly. 'Yesterday, they call me; freak who can't speak.'

With the sorrowful facial expression on Chioke's face, Tony's heart shatters from sadness. The poor kid is only six and a half years old and already has been through more in his life than most people. Finding the right words is crucial for Tony as he never wants Chioke to be sad.

"You're an awesome little boy. Those boys at the sandbox have no idea how cool you truly are because they're too ignorant to find out who you are as a person."

'What word you just say?' Chioke signed as a specific word confused him because he never heard it before.

"Ignorant?"

Chioke nods.

"Ignorant… Lacking knowledge or intelligence about something." Tony replied. "In this case, they lack the knowledge of knowing how you lost your voice."

'Either way, it hard. We not able to voice talk.'

"We talk all the time."

'You spend long hours to learn sign language…'

"I learned sign language because I wanted to. Not because I had to. Because I wanted to." Tony said.

'I want make friends. But I different. So it not easy because I not normal.'

"With people, there's no such thing as normal." Tony stated. "There's nothing wrong with being different. We're all different. We all think differently. We all act differently. Everyone's personality is different. Each and every one of us is unique in our own little ways. And your uniqueness makes you perfect the way you are. There's nothing wrong with you, Chioke."

'I know you try to make me feel good. But still want you to try find doctor to give me voice back.'

"If that's what you truly want, than I'll look into it." Tony sighed as he feels he failed. "Voice or no voice, you'll always be my best friend, Chioke. I love you."

'I know. Love you too.' Chioke signed with a smile. 'Thank you.' He wraps his arms around Tony.

With his arms wrapped around Chioke, Tony can't help but be sad. He can't help but think how this situation may change things, especially with what Chioke has asked of him.

For Tony, there have been times when Chioke needed guidance, a helping hand or assurance that everything will be fine. But being blindsided by something this huge was unexpected. He wishes he could've done better. It doesn't matter to him that Chioke can't speak. He loves him either way. He thinks back to when he was a child and made fun of kids who were different; whether they were poorer, their clothes, had glasses, were nerdy, etc. He recalls being the one who initiated cruel words toward other kids. It really puts life into perspective when you look back at the ones you've made fun of and knowing from your own child how it affects them. Children are very impressionable. Vulnerable to the cruel words other children say. There's no ignoring it. Children lack the mental development necessary to do so. It's only as adults when we actually realize the potential harm it may have caused as we see how it affects our children. Maybe this is why he feels like he failed Chioke; because he himself was an initiator. Failed to convince him that there's nothing wrong with him and that he's perfect the way he is. And if Chioke truly wants him to find out if there's any possibility of being able to fix his voice, he'll do it. Either way, Chioke's happiness is all that matters to him.

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**Author's Note:** Obviously I had some inspiration and got this chapter complete. I wrote this chapter to continue the Chioke having trouble making friends storyline. Kids can be cruel. It's a sad fact of life. Even as teenagers in high school, constant cruel words can be devastating to a person's emotional state. For those who have been bullied or for those who are the bully, this chapter was for you. Anyways… In the author's note at the very beginning of this story I said I would be introducing a character from the episode "Requiem". From the idea in my head, it appears that introduction will be soon, possibly the next chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

At FBI Headquarters the SWAT team is preparing for a delicate operation. The team is in an area where a couple tables with weapons, ammo, bulletproof vests and anything else needed for the operation, are set out. On the table in the middle of the area is the schematics for a building; the building they're going to raid.

Fornell is in charge of the operation. Gibbs is with them because he requested to tag along. The only reason Fornell granted the request is because he believes Gibbs' will to protect Julianna may prove to be a valuable asset; interrogation tool. There's no point in beating around the bush with interrogation rooms and the lawyer run around. Time isn't on their side with the Calder case which is now hanging by a very thin thread. Answers need to be found. And they need them quickly.

"Listen up!" Fornell exclaimed to get the attention of everyone. They huddle around the middle table. "A reliable informant has given us the location of the two yellow Hummers used in yesterday's shooting. Our orders are simple. We go in and secure the Hummers for evidence." He said. "The location is a local chop shop. I want two teams. Team one comes in through the front…" He points to the schematics of the building they'll be raiding. "And team two is to come in through the back…" He points to the back entrance. "We need those Hummers intact. No one moves until I give the go."

They continue preparing.

After a couple minutes, they enter into the FBI SWAT vans. The two vehicles leave FBI Headquarters. They make their way across town.

The vehicles finally park on either side of the building they're going to raid. Gibbs and Fornell are with team two who are entering from the back. Each team is positioned and ready.

The weapons carried by the SWAT team consist of; submachine guns, tactical shotguns and handguns at their side.

"Both teams standby… No one moves until I give the go." Fornell radioed to everyone.

"Remind me to take a nice long shower after this." Gibbs stated softly.

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm wearing an FBI vest. I feel so dirty."

"Next time we'll stop at NCIS so you can get your own vest." Fornell said. "Now's good of a time as any." He said. "Go! Move in!"

Both teams bust the doors in. The people inside are quickly startled by the heavily armed FBI entering into the building. Both exits are blocked from being able to use as an escape route. Those who try to run are immediately taken down by force. One man runs toward the back in the direction of the office. Gibbs and Fornell go after him.

The FBI SWAT team secures the chop shop. Each of the people inside lay face down on the ground and are handcuffed. With the suspects officially being no threat, team one begins to secure the two yellow Hummers which have already started to be taken apart.

The man who ran toward the back is in the office. The door is closed. Gibbs and Fornell are just outside.

"FBI! Come out with your hands in the air!" Fornell yelled.

"With the sound of the shedder, I highly doubt he'll come out." Gibbs stated.

The door is kicked in. Gibbs and Fornell each aim their sidearm at the suspect. The man puts his hands up.

"Don't shoot!" The man exclaimed. "I surrender!"

There's a brief moment of silence as Gibbs approaches the suspect.

"I want lawyer." The man said. "I say nothing without lawyer."

"They always want a lawyer." Gibbs said. "Guess what…?"

"What?" The man wondered.

"You don't get a lawyer."

Fornell closes the door. The three of them are locked in the office.

"You get me." Gibbs said. He grabs the suspect and shoves him to the desk. The man head hits the desk. Gibbs keeps him pinned there.

"This is a bit excessive." The man said. "My lawyer is going to hear about this."

"I'm sure a couple of those vehicles out there are stolen." Fornell stated.

"You're looking at grand theft auto." Gibbs said.

"Resisting arrest…" Fornell added.

"I didn't resist arrest."

"Interfering with a federal investigation… Striking a federal officer…" Fornell said.

"I didn't strike…"

Gibbs takes the suspects hand and hits himself with it.

"Now you did." Fornell stated.

"This is harassment!"

"Nah…" Gibbs disagreed. "This is interrogation." He squeezes the suspect's neck. The man yells and taps on the desk.

"Ah!" The man cried.

"Where did you get the Hummers?" Fornell asked.

"They belong to a friend. I'm fixing them for him."

"Wrong answer…" Gibbs said as he squeezes the suspect's neck again.

"Ah!" The man cried.

"Let's try this again." Fornell said. "And try to cooperate because the man holding your neck isn't playing games. Where did you get the Hummers?"

"You're FBI! You can't do this!"

"That's where you're wrong." Gibbs said. He takes the FBI patch from the front of his vest and tosses it. "I'm not FBI."

"It's true. He's not." Fornell said. "If I were you, I'd start talking before he becomes rough."

"This is rough!"

"You know what… I'll give you two a better chance to get acquainted." Fornell said as he walks to the door.

Gibbs jolts the man up and shoves him against the wall. He can see the fear in the suspect's eyes as he glares at him.

"Wait!" The man shouted. "I tell you!"

The suspect begins explaining how the Hummers came into his position. As the suspect explains, the information given isn't much help to the investigation because there's no direction connection between the suspect and the shooters. Fornell will have to rely on whatever forensic evidence can be lifted from the Hummers.

Each of the suspects are taken into FBI custody and charged with grand theft auto.

With the not-so-official interrogation complete, Gibbs goes back to the hospital.

Once at the hospital, Gibbs enters into Julianna's room, sits down next to the bed and holds her hand.

"We're getting closer to finding who did this to you." Gibbs said.

"She knows you're with her…" The familiar voice returns. "She can hear you…"

The voice quickly fades from the room.

Gibbs remains there at Julianna's side. With what happened not too long ago with Julianna's heart stopping, his fear is that it will occur again. All he can do is wish and pray that she'll make it through. Gibbs doubts he'll be able to handle it if she doesn't. The connection he feels with the unconscious Julianna is more than he even realizes. There's a bond the two of them share. He feels the bond. The importance of such a bond is making Gibbs think about what Julianna's future will hold for her; especially when the investigation is over. Where will she go? Who will she go with? Is there someone out there who will care for her like he does? What does her future hold?


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

After about an hour of sitting next to Julianna, Gibbs leaves the hospital. He drives into town to meet Tony, Jamie and Chioke for a late lunch. As he passes the restaurant, he notices they're already sitting inside waiting for him. Gibbs drives the car into the back parking lot.

"They need your help…" The familiar voice returns. "Protect the girl… Save your sister…"

Gibbs exits from the vehicles. He looks around. In the direction of the entrance, he notices a red haired woman walking out of view. He runs after her.

Once Gibbs is onto the sidewalk, he looks in every possible direction; looking for Shannon.

"Only you can help them…" The voice said.

Down the block, heading away from the restaurant he's supposed to go to, is where he sees the red hair again. Gibbs decides not to follow. The decision was hard because of how much he misses Shannon. But he knows she's dead. There's no possible chance she's alive. He tries to convince himself that it's only a figment of his imagination. Though, he can't help but believe Shannon is actually speaking to him. After so long, his love for Shannon is still strong.

He walks toward the restaurant. While standing right next to the door, Gibbs' nose catches a familiar scent; a specific perfume which was discontinued in the early 80's. There's only one person in the world he ever knew who used that perfume. Years after the perfume being discontinued, Shannon was still using it. He recalls how she bought as much of perfume as she could possibly find before it not being available anymore. She had half a closet full of the perfume.

The scent grows stronger. The elegant fragrance of long forgotten causes his heart pound like never before.

"Jethro…"

Gibbs turns away from the door to the restaurant and runs down the block.

He stops running as the scent vanishes. Now, Gibbs stands in front of another restaurant. He looks in through the window. The recognition of the restaurant causes him to close his eyes.

"If we're to go hiking, we should really leave soon." Jethro said. "Actually, we should leave right now."

"You really want me to go hiking with you." Shannon said.

"What makes you think that?"

"Your persistence gives it away, Jethro. You've been asking me to join you on a hike for almost ten minutes now. I don't even have hiking boots."

"That's not a problem." Gibbs said as he takes a box out of the bag he brought. He hands it to her. She opens it.

"Hiking boots…" Shannon giggled and shakes her head at his persistence.

"Okay… Now I'm being persistent."

"Alright… I'll go hiking with you."

The couple leaves the restaurant.

After a long drive, the car is parked alongside an old dirt road. The two of them start walking on a narrow path through the forest.

After a couple hours of hiking through the forest and up a steep hill, Jethro stops. He gently grabs Shannon by the arm. Jethro's hand slides down her arm and into her hand.

"Hold on." He said. Jethro reaches into his pocket. He takes out a small box and kneels down on one knee. "Shannon Elizabeth Mitchell, will you marry me?" The box is opened. The ring is exposed to her.

"I…" Shannon is at a loss for words because this isn't how she pictured it would happen. She loves him with all her heart, but he picked a hell of a time to propose. "You know… This isn't quite how I pictured this moment to be. I always pictured this moment to be romantic. Not like this. I mean… We're tired, hot and sweaty after a long hike. You really caught me off guard here, Jethro. And I know you're waiting for me to answer…"

"I know you always wanted something romantic." Jethro said. "Take a couple more steps up the hill. Then give me your answer."

Shannon is confused. But she complies. She takes a couple more steps up the hill.

Shannon stands in a clearing. A smile stretches across her face as she can see for miles. From the clearing, her eyes behold the most magnificently splendid view she's ever seen in her entire life. With the season being autumn, the miles of colorful tree leaves are a sight unlike any other. The stunning beauty of this natural sight feels like a dream.

Jethro stands next to her. Shannon stares into the distance. Jethro stares at Shannon. She's captivated by the natural beauty her eyes behold. He's captivated by her natural beauty.

"I've never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life." Shannon stated after fifteen minutes of being speechless.

For Jethro, with the way the sunlight lights up Shannon's face, it makes her appear as an angel in his eyes. An angel sent from the heavens above to be standing where she is at this very moment. He's been unsure about a lot of things throughout his entire life. Asking for Shannon's hand in marriage is the most sure thing he's ever experienced. The love he feels for her is something he's never been properly able to explain. She takes his breath away. Always has and always will.

"Neither have I." Jethro said in response. Though for him, he meant it in regards to Shannon's beauty. She turns her head and looks to him.

"Yes…" She takes the ring and places it on it ring finger. "I'll marry you."

Both of them smile and lean toward each other. They kiss.

"The sun is setting. It'll be dark soon so…" Shannon begins to say because she's starting to worry about hiking back to the car in the dark.

"That's not a problem." Gibbs said as he points off to the side.

Shannon turns around. After seeing the tent, she turns back to him.

"We can sit. Watch the sunset. Roast some marshmallows…" Jethro begins to say.

"I love you." Shannon said with a smile.

"I love you too."

"Shannon Elizabeth Gibbs…" Shannon thinks about what she'll soon be once they're married. "I like the sound of that."

Gibbs' eyes open as he hears Jamie yelling for him as she approaches. He looks to the side and sees her.

"Dad, are you alright?" Jamie asked in concern.

"I'm fine." Gibbs replied.

"I saw you outside the restaurant but you ran away…"

"Seriously, I'm fine." Gibbs said. "Your mother and I were at this restaurant the day I proposed. I was very persistent about us going on a hike that day. We were hot and sweaty after hours of hiking. The look on your mother's face when I proposed was priceless because I completely caught her off guard. Then she took a couple more steps to this clearing. It was the most phenomenal sight. She was speechless for fifteen minutes before giving me an answer."

"It must have been an amazing view."

"She was."

Jamie wraps her arm around her father's arm. The two of them walk in the direction of the restaurant they're going to have lunch at. Along the way, Gibbs tells Jamie everything about the day he proposed to her mother.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

As Gibbs sits next to Julianna's bedside, his mind wanders back to the thought of what her future holds in store for her. The girl is eight-years-old and all alone. His own daughter was in similar situation sixteen years ago. Both situations have differences and similarities. And both occurred at the same age; eight.

With how he's been here for her this entire time, saved her life twice and cares for her, he begins to wonder if she'll ever know him. After the Calder case is over, will he be forgotten? Gibbs doesn't want to be forgotten, especially after all of this. The thought of adopting Julianna slowly creeps into his mind. A debate goes on inside his head. A debate on whether or not the concept of adopting Julianna is within her best interest. It confuses him because this idea popped into his head without warning and without a clear reason as to why. He doesn't know if the reason is for him, or for her. It should be about and for her, so the recent reminiscing about the past is clouding his judgment.

The thoughts quickly dissipate as he hears commotion outside the room. He exits to find a young blond haired woman arguing with the two police officers; Julianna's protection detail.

"I'll take it from here." Gibbs said as he gently grabs the young woman by her arm and escorts her to the side. They're now in a somewhat private area. "I'm Special…"

"Agent Gibbs." The woman finished his sentence. "Jethro Gibbs… I know. I mean, I remember." She notices the look on his face and quickly realizes he probably doesn't recognize her after so long. "But you probably don't. I'm Maddie… Maddie Tyler. It's been a long time. Umm…" There's a brief pause. "I used to come over to your house. I was Kelly's best friend… Or, I mean, at least I remember of myself… Being her best friend. I like to think she thought so too."

"I remember." Gibbs said. He doesn't particularly recognize her because the last time he saw her was when she was a child. But he remembers Maddie coming over quite often to play with Kelly. The eyes are what he recognizes and gives away who she is. Kelly and Maddie were friends. The two of them were inseparable. "She's still alive, you know."

"I know." She said nervously. "Two days ago, I was contacted by a Timothy McGee on MySpace. It's a social networking site. Umm… I… I have a picture of Kelly on my page. And I wrote a little something for it; My first and still my best friend Kelly. Forever in my memory." There's a brief pause again. "I never stopped crying. I still thought about her after all these years. Tim stumbled across my page, contacted me and explained things. I know she doesn't go by the name Kelly anymore. I was made aware about what happened; how her identity changed and all that… Tim and I have been chatting through MySpace since than. I was planning on paying Kelly… I mean, Jamie… A visit later today."

"I'm sure she would love that." Gibbs said. "Though, don't take it personally if she doesn't remember you. Jamie's memory is a bit fuzzy in certain areas. She doesn't even remember much about her mother. The best thing you can do is be patient with her."

"Alright…"

"What exactly are you doing here?"

"I'm Julianna's big sister." Maddie stated. "I'm mean… Not blood related type of sister. Umm… The program; Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. I'm her big sister." She said. "I've been her big sister since her father left for Iraq. I came as soon as I heard. The, umm…" She notices the slightly confused expression upon his face as he's wondering how she knew Julianna is here. "It's been all over the news the past hour. So how is she?"

"Julianna has been unconscious since yesterday. She's in stable condition. At the time being, only authorized personnel are allowed to set foot in that room. So you have to leave, I'm sorry." Gibbs said as he takes out his cell-phone. "Do you remember where I live?"

"Yes." She replied. "I know Jamie lives right next door. She loved you more than anything. You were her hero. She idolized you. That's one thing I remember about her. So it doesn't surprise me that she lives next door to you."

"Jamie should be home right now. You should go over there."

"Even with my little sister being unconscious, please tell her I said hi and that I'm praying for her." Maddie said in concern for Julianna. "It was good to see you again."

"I'll tell her." He said. "It was good to see you too, Maddie."

Maddie walks away. Gibbs quickly dials a phone number. The call is to FBI agent Tobias Fornell.

"Julianna's location has been compromised. It's all over the news." Gibbs stated. "She's not safe here. We need to move her to a new location."

"Someone in this department leaked the Intel." Fornell said. "I'm already in the process of devising a plan for relocation. She'll be relocated within the hour."

"And you better find that leak."

Gibbs closes his cell-phone.

Maddie arrives at Jamie's house. The car is parked and she exits from the vehicle. She giggles slightly at the glance of Gibbs' house as it's exactly the same she what she remembered from sixteen years old. She looks to the house she parked in front of. The excited nervousness overwhelms her. The friend she cried over night after night and never stopped thinking about is the woman she's about to see.

Jamie hears a knock on the door. She walks from the kitchen into the foyer and opens the door.

Maddie's face lights up with excitement.

"May I help you?" Jamie asked.

"I can't believe it's really you." Maddie said.

"I think you have the wrong house…"

"I'm Maddie Tyler. We used to be best friends. I used to come over your house all the time." Maddie said. The expression on Jamie's face is that of not recognizing her. "Your dad said you might not recognize me or even remember. May I come in?"

"Sure."

Maddie enters into the home. The door closes.

"We used to talk about owning a horse farm someday. Train and breed horses." Maddie said. "We were crazy about horses."

"I remember being crazy about horses." Jamie said.

"But not me?"

"My memory is hazy with certain things in my life before the accident, I'm sorry." Jamie apologized. "Would you like a drink? I just made coffee."

"Coffee is fine."

Jamie walks away and goes to the kitchen. Maddie walks into the living room and looks at the pet tanks.

Jamie enters into the living room with two cups of coffee.

"Thank you." Maddie said. The two of them sit down. She looks to the tanks again. "Interesting choice in pets."

"Those are Chioke's pets." Jamie said. "The iguanas are named; Timon and Pumbaa. And the lobster is named; Simba."

"I'm taking it your son loves The Lion King."

"It's his favorite movie. He watched it hundreds of times already."

"That's like us with Cinderella." Maddie chucked. "I mean… That was like." She grabs a picture frame from a small table next to the char she's sitting on. "So this is Chioke?"

"Yeah… He's our little pride and joy." Jamie said with a smile. "My husband met him while in Nigeria."

"And brought him home."

"Yes."

There's a brief moment of silence as Maddie basically stares at Jamie. Maddie can't help but stare at the friend she never knew was still alive until two days ago.

"My dad found you?" Jamie wondered.

"Actually, it was Tim McGee." Maddie said. "He stumbled across my MySpace page. I have a picture of you posted there. I never stopped thinking about you. With all the years that went by, I still considered you to be my best friend. Always and forever." She said with a tear in her eye. "I have this picture of us together." She hands an old photo to Jamie; a photo of her and Jamie, but back then, known as Kelly.

Jamie examines the photo closely.

"I really wish I could remember." Jamie said. "We look really happy about something in this picture. As if we found something to be funny."

"We were giggling when that picture was taken." Maddie said.

"What were we laughing about?"

"We buried a time capsule in your backyard. We were sitting on it."

"With certain things about my past… Before the accident… My memory needs to be jogged."

"I know… Your dad told me to be patient with you. That is, if you want…"

"I'd like to give this a try." Jamie said. "From this picture we… We looked like we were the closest of friends."

"We were."

"How about we go unearth the time capsule…?"

"Sure."

The two of them stands up and walk to the door. They exit from the house.

They enter into Jamie's father's backyard.

"It's under the bushes over there." Maddie said as she points to the area.

They walk to the middle of the backyard where there's a closed area of stone to hold the bushes inside. Jamie grabs a hand shovel from the side. They kneel down behind the stones.

"It's under this one." Maddie said as she points.

Jamie begins digging. Maddie holds onto the bush her friend is digging under. Finally, there's a cling of metal to metal. The time capsule is found.

Jamie takes the time capsule out from its hole. She wipes the dirt from the top. The two of them look at the Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox they called a time capsule.

For Jamie, the sight of the time capsule causes a couple flashbacks of the day they buried it. She recalls it was her father who took the photo of them sitting on the buried time capsule. A slight sadness fills her heart.

"I'm sorry…" Jamie apologized. "I can't open this."

Jamie places the time capsule back inside the hole and puts the bush and dirt back in their place. She explains to Maddie why she can't open the time capsule.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Author's Note:** Within this chapter, in regards to Maddie's introduction into this series, I used some of her actual dialogue from the episode "Requiem" because it fit well with what I wanted to do here. So for those lines I used, credit goes to the writers of "Requiem." Actually, major kudos to those writers for the entire "Requiem" episode… My favorite NCIS episode. And with it being my favorite, that's why I wanted to bring Maddie in.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Shortly after Kelly falling off the bridge, two police officers arrive at the Gibbs residence. The family is made aware of their child's/sister's demise. Leroy's mother bawls her eyes out.

"What happened?" One of the police officers asked of Leroy. He's being questioned because earlier in the day, a hiker saw the three children on the pathway that leads to the bridge. It was the same hiker who discovered the body later.

"We were going to the bridge." Leroy said. He glances across the way to his older brother Jared. The feeling of fear increases as Jared glares at him in an evil manner. The two police officers don't see this because all eyes are on Leroy. A choice is made; a choice out of fear. "We didn't know Kelly was following us until we reached the clearing near the bridge. The three of us were on the bridge together. I told her to stay away from the edge…" A tear rolls down his cheek as what he's about to say is the hardest thing he's ever had to do. "I turned away for a couple seconds. When I looked back… She was gone." His face plummets into his hands. The tears are so abundant that they leak through the gaps between his fingers.

The police officers walk to the side of the room.

"The girl's death is obviously an accident." One of the officers stated.

"The poor girl got too close to the edge and fell." The other officer said.

Jared remains seated where he is. He's able to forces tears from his eyes. The sad expression upon Jared's face makes Leroy so angry because he knows it's fake. Leroy looks to his mother in sorrow.

"Mom, I'm…"

Leroy's mother stands up and walks away. Without her even saying a word, Leroy knows she blames him for what happened. Jared not watching over Kelly while on a bridge is something to be expected. What she never expected was Leroy not watching her, making sure she's safe. So Leroy cries even more because it feels like his mother ripped his heart out and threw it away.

In one day, Leroy lost his sister/best friend, lied to the police and blamed for what happened by his mother. It couldn't get any worse.

That night, as Leroy lies in bed, the room starts rumbling. The shadows of the darkness creep around the room. An eerie howl causes him to remain frozen with fear. The unlit light bulbs of the room burst. The glass is the windows shatter. The entire room shakes violently. A deafening screech echoes within the room as a dark shadowy figure appears.

The dark shadowy figure hovers over the foot of the bed. A dark mist, which originates from the dark figure, blankets the bed and floor. It points at Leroy.

"You're responsible for my death." The child-like demonic voice of Kelly said. "You lied about what happened."

"Jared would've killed me if…" Leroy tried to defend himself.

"Silence!" The demonic screech rings in Leroy's ears. "My death is as much your fault as it is our brother's. You killed me Leroy."

"I tried to save…"

"You failed!" The demonic screech rings in Leroy's ears again. "Look what I've become because of your failure."

The dark shadowy figure pulls back the shroud covering its head. Leroy's jaw drops at the horrific sight his eyes behold. He's never seen anything so scary in his entire life.

"Aaaaahhh!!!" Leroy screams as he wakes up.

Gibbs finally wakes up in a cold sweat for the second night in a row. His heart pounds and breathing is heavy. A deep breath is taken. This is a reason he doesn't sleep much. He's had the same two nightmares since the day his sister Kelly died; the nightmare about how it happened and the nightmare about after it happened. The nightmares are Gibbs' curse as he's always blamed himself for what happened to Kelly since he was unable to save her. He always felt if he tried harder, she would still be alive. Gibbs knows it wasn't his fault, but guilt still lingers inside him.

Even with it being early in the morning on Monday and still dark outside, Gibbs decides to take a drive.

About an hour after dawn, Gibbs leisurely walks down a long narrow path through the woods. The path is as he remembers it from his childhood. Walking down the path is like walking down the trail of decaying death. Even though the woods surrounding the path are lively and full of life, it just feels dead to Gibbs. It's a dreaded trail heading to a place of sorrow. What Gibbs labeled it as a long time ago; The Trail of Sorrow. He labeled it as such because after Kelly's death, that's what it felt like every time he walked the path. After Kelly died, he never quite made it to the bridge again.

A couple minutes later, Gibbs finally enters into the clearing near the bridge. His anxiety rises because he hasn't been here since childhood. A child's playful laughter is heard. Gibbs looks around. No one is there. His eyes close for a brief second.

"Leroy, look what I found." He reminisces about a day he and Kelly were out here.

"What did you find?"

"It's a pointy object."

"Wow! You found an arrowhead!"

"The things Indians used to use?"

"Yes… Indians used arrowheads to hunt for food such as deer, wild turkey, buffalo…"

"Wow! Buffalo! I want to see buffalo. I love buffalo. Do you think we'll ever see buffalo, Leroy?"

"I'm sure we will one day."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Gibbs opens his eyes. He recalls what he meant about seeing buffalo as he referred to taking her to the zoo someday. He chuckles slightly with remembering how Kelly had a fascination with buffalo. Everything was buffalo this and buffalo that. When the majority of girls loved horses or dogs, Kelly loved buffalo.

He continues walking through the clearing in the direction of the bridge. Each step taken is like a dagger to Gibbs' heart. He takes a deep breath and steps onto the bridge.

Gibbs walks toward the middle of the bridge. While standing in the middle, he looks to the side. The edge of the bridge where Kelly fell off is a couple feet away. Gibbs is directly in line with the dreaded spot. He breathes heavily as his heart feels like it can't go any further.

A child's laughter is heard again. Gibbs looks around.

Standing behind him is five-year-old Kelly. He turns and sees her. She smiles at the sight of her brother. Gibbs' eyes become watery at the sight of his sister. He almost forgot how adorable Kelly was at the age of five. Gibbs is practically speechless at the sight of his beloved sister.

"I missed you, Leroy!" Kelly wraps her arms around his waist to embrace the brother she hasn't seen in a long time. "Where have you been? I've been waiting for you."

"I'm sorry it took me so long to come."

"It's okay, Leroy. I forgive you."

"I've missed you too, Kelly."

"You feel guilty." Kelly said as his emotion radiates a certain vibe which her spirit feels. "You blame yourself. I can feel it."

"How can I not blame myself?"

"Come to the edge with me, Leroy." She places her hand into his and gently tugs for him to follow her. Gibbs' feet comply with Kelly's will.

Together, they stand at the edge of the bridge; in the same exact spot he was lying down at when trying to reach for her. Kelly sees his anxiety.

"There's no reason to be scared, Leroy."

"I know. It's just…"

"Look to the bottom." Kelly points to the bottom where she died.

"I don't think I can." Gibbs cried as he falls to his knees. He doesn't even have the strength to remain standing. Weakness is all he feels; both physical and emotional.

"Of course you can. You've always been strong."

"I wasn't strong enough for you. I couldn't…"

Kelly places her finger over her brother's mouth.

"Look below."

Gibbs looks over the edge. He looks directly in the spot where Kelly died.

"What do you see, Leroy?"

"Nothing…"

"Exactly… I'm not there." She places her hand onto his chest, where his heart is. "I'm here."

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Kelly."

"But you did save me, Leroy." Kelly assured him. Gibbs' facial expression is that of being confused because he doesn't understand. She smiles at him. "You just don't know it yet."

"What do you mean? I'm confused."

"Buffalos, Leroy… Buffalos." She said with a smile.

Kelly vanishes.

"Wait!"

It's too late. Kelly is gone. Gibbs is left on the bridge all alone. He's left wondering what Kelly meant.

The sun shines brightly on Gibbs. He feels the warmth. A great sadness is lifted from his heart. A tremendous weight is lifted from his shoulders. After all these years, Gibbs finally made it to the bridge. And it helped.


	13. Chapter 13

**Monday**

**Chapter 13**

For the majority of the morning, Tony has been on the phone with countless numbers of specialist doctors and the NCIS benefits division of the human resources department. After almost three hours of the run around on both ends, he becomes frustrated. Ziva and McGee can see his frustration. Tony slams the phone down.

"Not having much luck, eh." McGee said.

"I found a doctor who can determine if Chioke's voice can be repaired."

"That's a good thing." Ziva stated.

"No it's not." Tony said. "I love Chioke the way he is. Sure I'd love to hear his voice… His laughter… But…" He refrains from continuing.

"You didn't fail him, Tony. Children need to have friends their own age." Ziva said because she knows what's bothering him. "You're still and always will be his best friend."

"It's just not right." Tony said. "He wants to change himself because a couple snobby kids dismissed him because he's unable to speak… Because he's different."

"It wasn't right that his voice was damaged due to being shot." McGee stated.

"He's right." Ziva agreed. "Chioke didn't choose to be shot; robbed of his family and his voice."

"I know. It's just…" Tony begins to say before stopping to think about what his problem is with this whole thing. He sighs. "I used to make fun of other kids for being different."

"You would've made fun of Chioke if you were a kid." Ziva said.

"It just took one time being made fun of for Chioke to want to change himself… To be displeased with himself. It makes me wonder how the other kids felt when I made fun them." Tony said. He looks toward McGee. "Tim…"

"Yeah…?"

"I've been making fun of you since you came here a couple years ago."

"You've been making fun of me since day one." McGee stated.

"I know I've been…"

"Annoying… Irritating… Obnoxious…"

"Okay, okay… We get the point." Tony said. "If I've ever made you feel bad, made you feel that I don't like you or that your work isn't appreciated…"

"I accept your apology, Tony."

"Apologize?! Haha!" Tony laughs. "I was going to say; if you can't handle it at your age than you truly are…"

"Tony…" Ziva tries to get his attention.

"He's not Tony. I'm Tony." Tony said. He looks to McGee again.

"I should've known you would never…" McGee begins to say.

"McGee… I make fun of you because I like you, alright. You're…"

"I love you, Tim!" Jamie exclaimed as she rounds the corner from McGee's side of the bullpen. She wraps her arms around his neck and gives him a great big kiss on the cheek. Tony looks on in jealousy as he wonders what this is all about.

"Umm…" McGee is slightly confused and right now, scared.

Jamie finally pulls back and sits on the edge of the desk.

"My childhood friend Maddie Tyler stopped by the house yesterday. She stayed for dinner and a movie. Sunday night is our movie night." Jamie said. "My memory of her is still very iffy. But I know you're the one who found her. And I wanted to thank you for it. I'm hoping I'll eventually remember her because she seems very nice and it sounds like we were the best of friends."

"You're welcome." McGee said.

Jamie leans forward and wraps her arms around McGee again. He wraps his arms around her. They hug each other.

Jamie backs away, stands up and walks across the bullpen to her husband. She gives Tony a quick kiss on the lips then leaves.

"You were saying, Tony?" McGee is curious to hear the rest of what Tony was saying before being interrupted.

"I actually was going to apologize but after touching my wife, if you ever do that again I'll make sure every female in the building thinks you're gay." Tony threatened.

"You already did that."

"That was three years ago. New female employees have come here since then."

"I thought you sent out an email about McGee being gay five weeks ago." Ziva said.

"No wonder Tara Phillips in the accounting department looks at me in a weird way!" McGee exclaimed. He glares across the way at Tony. Tony looks away and pretends to be innocent. "I'm not gay, Tony."

"Could've fooled me, Elf Lord."

McGee shakes his head and goes back to work. He should know by now the torment, teasing will never stop. The majority of Tony's jokes will always center on or around him. It's inescapable.

Tony takes a deep breath as he continues to think. If the doctor determines he's able to repair the damage done to Chioke's voice, the NCIS health plan won't cover it. He'll have to pay for the entire operation out-of-pocket. Due to lack of savings, Tony knows what he'll have to do; ask his father for the money. Good thing the relationship with his father is the best it's ever been. But before knowing whether or not he needs to call his father, it needs to be determined if anything can be done to give Chioke his voice back. An examination date has been set so they'll find out eventually.

Thirty minutes later, Jamie walks into the cafeteria of her school. She has class in an hour and wants to grab a bite to eat beforehand.

After picking what she wants and paying at the register, she walks to the far end of the cafeteria because it's empty. She feels uncomfortable around large crowds, so the far end is where she likes to sit. Besides, with fewer distractions, it'll give her a better chance to look over her project before handing it in.

As she's sitting, looking over her work and eating lunch, her uncle, Jared Lucas Gibbs, sits in the chair across the table. Jamie sighs slightly as she doesn't want to deal with her uncle at this moment. He reads her like a book.

"I've been here a total of five seconds and I can already tell I'm getting the cold shoulder." Jared said.

There's a brief moment of silence as Jamie ignores her uncle.

"Oh come on…" Jared said. "What did I do this time?"

"You peed on your dead sister over the weekend." Jamie finally looks up at him. Her glare is like a dagger gouging out his eyes.

"Oh…" He chuckled. "I don't understand why…"

"Do you enjoy causing misery?"

"Yes." He answered without hesitation.

"At least you're honest about it." She acknowledged his quick response. "I don't enjoy the fact that you get off on causing my father misery… Especially hurting him the way you did by peeing your sister. Do you want to hurt me?"

"Why would I want to hurt you?"

"Just answer the question."

"No."

"When you hurt my father, you hurt me too."

"Ah, don't play the guilt shit with me." Jared said. "What about you? You were named after our sister Kelly. Your original name was Kelly Catherine Gibbs; her name. You probably hurt your father just as much as I did by not changing your name back to what it was originally."

"I don't have to explain myself to you!" Jamie exclaimed. "My situation was complicated and at the time, I didn't…" She stops herself from allowing her anger get the best of her. "You know what… I don't want to talk to you right now. Please leave."

Jared sees it in her eyes. He knows what he did hurt her. A feeling of sorrow hits him.

"Look, I'm…" Jared begins to say.

"Just leave." Jamie glares him in an angry manner.

Jared complies with his niece's demand for him to leave because she's pissed off at him. Hurting Jamie is something he doesn't want to do. But eventually, he knows he'll hurt her more than she can possibly bear. The fate of her father, his brother Jethro, is inevitable.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Gibbs walks out of a restaurant after having lunch. It was the exact restaurant he and Shannon had lunch at before going on a hike then him asking her to marry him. This is the first time he's set foot inside the restaurant since losing her. His lunch was the exact same meal he ate that day.

As Gibbs walks in the direction of the parking lot, the scent of Shannon's perfume crosses his path. His eyes close.

The thoughts of Shannon are quickly disrupted due to a distance explosion which echoes through the streets of Washington D.C. Gibbs runs in the direction of where he believes the explosion occurred.

"Stop…" The familiar voice demanded. "It's a diversion…"

Gibbs stops. His eyes wander around the area and notice something's wrong. All lights are shutting off. Other than the lights going off, something else grabs his attention. The expression on people's faces as they look at their cell-phones seems to be odd. He takes out his cell-phone. The cell-phone shows it's receiving no signal.

"She's in danger… You have to protect her…" The voice said. "Now is the time... They're on their way…" The voice continued. "You're her only hope… Protect her…"

Gibbs runs in the direction of his car. He knows the explosion was a diversion to knock out the power and landline communications as in Washington D.C., one strategically placed explosive can knock out both for a period of time. As for the cell towers, high powered cell-jammers must have been placed to cut the wireless communications.

Alexander Calder is going to great lengths to eliminate the only possible threat, whether she actually knows something or not. Calder wants to secure his freedom. Gibbs wants to secure Julianna's.

The time is now. The threat is real. The choice is simple. Gibbs will do everything in his power to protect Julianna; even if it means giving his own life to save hers.

Gibbs arrives at the new hospital where Julianna was transported to yesterday. He runs into the building. The emergency lights are on but only because the backup generator kicked in the second the power went out. As he runs through the emergency room, there's confusion among staff, patients and people waiting. Gibbs ignores it all and enters into the stairwell down the hall.

He exits onto the third floor. Gibbs' rush to Julianna's room is swift. Not swift enough for him. Julianna's security detail is nowhere to be found. As if they were called off. The entire floor seems to be deserted of all life. His worry drastically increases as he approaches the room and draws his sidearm.

Gibbs enters into Julianna's room. He sighs in relief at the sight of her.

Several masked men enter onto the third floor through three different entrances. Each of them is armed with a handgun that has an attached silencer and a knife at their side. All the men really know is that Julianna is in one of two wings on this floor. The plan is to search every room within the two wings and eliminate the target.

One of the masked men enters into a room. He quickly checks the chart. The chart reads; Julianna Sullivan. The man takes aim and shoots three bullets. With seeing no blood, he pulls the blanket down. Underneath are pillows.

"Shit…" The man said. He takes out a walkie talkie. "Target's not in her room." He said. "I repeat… Target's not in her room. Target is missing."

Suddenly, the fire alarm goes off. The ringing of the fire alarm is deafening. Water shoots out from the fire sprinklers on the ceilings. The entire floor is blanketed with rain and the loud fire alarm.

One of the men notices a lighter spinning on the watery floor in one of the hallways. He realizes why the fire sprinklers went off. Suddenly, the man is launched face first into the wall. The man is quickly grabbed from behind. His neck is snapped.

Gibbs takes the knife and the handgun with the attached silencer in case he needs to the extra weaponry. He walks to the side and lifts the unconscious Julianna into his arms.

For the masked men, the search for their target is underway. For Gibbs, the fight to protect Julianna is underway. Both sides have a mission; one, to eliminate the target, and the other, to protect her. Each side has an advantage; the masked men have numbers and Gibbs has his exceptional hearing ability.

The water continues shooting out from the fire sprinklers. And the fire alarm continues to blare.

"I can't hear a damn thing with this fire alarm!" One of the men exclaimed to another as they walk.

"What?" The other yelled.

"Nevermind!" The man shouted.

Both men are walking side by side. Suddenly, Gibbs jumps out from the right side. He quickly grabs the first man, forcing him to drop his weapon. Before the other man can even take aim, his weapon is kicked to the side. The man Gibbs grabbed is shoved into the other. They both hit the wall.

One of the men immediately attacks Gibbs but is quickly thrown into a door. He crashes through the door. The other man grabs for the gun on the floor but is kicked in the face.

As Gibbs and the man fight, the other comes out of the room with an IV rack as a weapon. Both men fall to the floor. Smoke escapes from the barrel of the handgun with the silencer. The blood from the two dead men mixes with the water on the floor.

Two minutes later, a masked man enters into the hallway to see the two dead guys.

"Fuck…" He said. He takes out a walkie talkie. "We have a problem here. The target has help."

The remaining masked men search for the target and the person protecting her. The fire sprinklers continue to shoot out water and the fire alarm continues to echoes through the halls.

Three masked men move through the hallway. On the side is a hospital bed used for transporting patients from one room to another. Neither of them thinks anything of it as they pass it by because this is a hospital. After passing the hospital bed, Gibbs cautiously slips out from underneath the bed because he was listening to their footsteps the entire time. He sneaks up behind one of them men, grabs him and pulls him away.

After a minute, the other two men turn around. Their friend is gone; vanished without a trace. They never heard anything except for the fire alarm. The two of them retrace their steps to search for their friend.

They notice the hospital bed which was on the side in the hallway isn't in the same spot it was before. The hospital bed is further down the corridor.

The two men cautiously approach the area. Underneath the bed, on the platform above the watery floor are an oxygen tank and a short fuse connected to a cigarette placed in a book of matches. Neither of the men realizes what's underneath the actual bed due to not being able to see it since a blanket is hanging over the side.

Finally, there's an explosion. The water from the fire sprinklers quickly douses the flames. The explosion occurred in an area where the only casualties were the two idiots who got too close to it.

While Gibbs has Julianna in a safe place, he checks her vital signs to make sure she's doing alright before moving her. The vital signs seem to be fine for the time being. He lifts her into his arms and carries her from the area.

As Gibbs walks in the direction of the elevator, he notices two security guards dead near the door to the stairwell. It's a sign that the masked men have recently been through this area.

Gibbs enters into the storage room. He places Julianna in the back, grabs a blanket and puts it over her in order to hide her. Gibbs leaves the room and closes the door behind him.

Gibbs encounters one of the masked men less than a minute later. The two fight.

Gibbs is pushed against the nearby desk. The masked man tries to shove his knife into Gibbs' neck. The attack is brushed off as Gibbs is able to smash the man's head into the beam at the back corner of the desk, between the desk entrance and the wall. Before knowing it, the man has a handcuff around his right wrist. Gibbs knees the man in the stomach, grabs his left arm. His weapons are tossed to the side.

Gibbs grins as he walks away. The man's wrists are handcuffed around the beam. He has no chance of escaping since he doesn't have a key and is completely disarmed.

Gibbs leaves the storage room with Julianna in his arms. Upon approaching the elevator, he quickly hits the button. He remains cautious about the surroundings of the area. The elevator door opens.

Gibbs is knocked down; he falls backward. Julianna, who was in his arms at the time, is launched behind him. She hits the floor behind Gibbs and slides away. The man from the elevator steps forward and points his gun at Julianna. Gibbs kicks the man's hand. The first bullet penetrates into the ceiling. Gibbs jolts upward; decking the man in the face as he stands up. The two of them struggle.

Gibbs is thrown into elevator. The man picks up his gun and takes aim at Julianna again. Before he can pull the trigger, he's speared in the back by Gibbs' shoulder. The two of them fall to the watery fall.

Finally, the water stops and fire alarm turns off.

Neither of the men is fazed by the elimination of the squirting water and blare of the fire alarm. They continue to struggle. Both of them are trying to complete their own mission; a mission of elimination and a mission of protection.

As Gibbs continues to struggle with the man, his concern for Julianna after hitting the floor is greatened. He feels the overwhelming urge to know if she's alright. Gibbs grabs the knife from the man's side and stabs it into his shoulder.

"Agh!" The man yelled.

Gibbs' head is bashed against the wall. The man rolls to the side and grabs the gun. Once again, he takes aim at Julianna. His body suddenly slams against the wall after Gibbs jumping at him; launching both of his feet to the man's upper body. Gibbs used himself as a torpedo. The gun drops as the man smashes against the wall.

Suddenly, a couple armed men enter into the area.

"Put your hands up right now!" One of the men shouted. Gibbs raises his hands.

"He's NCIS. Don't point your weapon at him." Fornell said as he approaches. "Secure the floor and arrest that one." He points to the man on the floor.

Gibbs quickly makes his way to Julianna to see if she's alright. As he approaches Julianna, he falls to his knees next to her. He checks her vital signs. The vital signs seem to be fine and she's not bleed, so no bullet hit her. Gibbs looks at Julianna's face for a second. He takes hold of her and holds her close.

"Please tell me you left someone else alive other than that guy?" Fornell wondered as he approaches Gibbs.

"There's one handcuffed to the beam at the desk down the hall and one tied up in a storage closet somewhere." Gibbs stated. "The others are dead."

"Thanks for the mess. I appreciate it." Fornell said. There's a brief pause. "Good job, Jethro."

Gibbs strokes Julianna's wet hair before giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. He remains on the wet floor with Julianna in his arms while the FBI secures the floor of any other potential bad guys. Gibbs holds her close to him. She's being held in caring arms.

Gibbs' happiness is overwhelming as he knows he succeeded in protecting Julianna from being harmed.

"She knows you saved her…" The familiar voice returns. "She may be unconscious, but she knows you're with her… She needs you… You need her… Be there for her, Jethro… Protect her always…"

The familiar voice vanishes.

"I will." Gibbs muttered softly to himself.

His thoughts finally become clear as to what to do; both in regards to Julianna and his dead sister Kelly. The mind which has been in utter confusion since this ordeal started on Saturday is finally in the state of mind where things are starting to make sense. Gibbs knows exactly what he should do.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:** The chapter you're about to read has three parts to it. The first and third parts are my original stuff. The second part, the middle piece of the chapter contains a mini-spoiler to "Requiem" as it contains the contents of the time capsule which Gibbs never opened. The contents of the time capsule are taken directly from the CBS website as that's where they let us viewers see what was inside, even though Gibbs didn't open it. Full credit for the time capsule contents goes to the NCIS production team, writers, CBS, etc.

**A couple days later**

**Friday**

**Chapter 15**

Gibbs exits from the courthouse. A smile stretches across his face as he looks up at the relatively clear sky; there are only a couple clouds here and there. The temperature is warm with a slight breeze. It's a perfect day in regards to the weather and what was accomplished in the courtroom over the passed couple of days.

With Gibbs' determination to keep Julianna safe, it led to an unexpected outcome for the FBI and D.A. New charges were brought against Alexander Calder. Charges that included: murder, for the deaths of Julianna's mother and the FBI agent driving them, and also conspiracy to commit murder, for attempting to kill Julianna. A couple other minor charges were also added. The three men who Gibbs left alive, each made a deal with the D.A. to testify against Alexander Calder for a reduced sentence. The testimony of the three men led to Alexander Calder's incarceration to a Federal prison; a life sentence with no chance of parole.

It's still unclear whether or not Julianna has any information that could've helped the D.A., but whatever she knows or doesn't know, doesn't matter. The trial proved to be successful with getting a very dangerous man off the streets. The Calder case is over.

After taking a minute to gaze at the sky, Gibbs continues walking.

Gibbs arrives at the hospital. Outside Julianna's room is a social worker. She's getting herself familiar with Julianna's case, though, hasn't been able to speak with the girl as of yet. Julianna has yet to wake up.

"Are you Special Agent Gibbs?" The social worker asked.

"Yes."

"I want you to know my department made strict guidelines to finding the perfect home for Julianna Sullivan." The social worker said. "I have a couple families lined-up for interviews next week. We'll find her a good home in no time…"

As the social worker continues to talk about how they'll proceed with Julianna's adoption, all Gibbs can do is think about how he doesn't want to lose her. He looks at Julianna through the inside window to the hospital room. They need each other.

Through the window, he notices Julianna is finally waking up. Gibbs turns to the social worker.

"I'll adopt her." Gibbs said.

"It's not as easy as saying; I'll adopt her, Special Agent Gibbs." The social worker stated. "We have a rigorous process designed…"

"I'll go through the process… Just as long as I'm given a chance to try." Gibbs said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to break some bad news to a young girl about her mother."

Gibbs walks away and enters into Julianna's room. He approaches the bedside.

"Hi Julianna, I'm…" Gibbs begins to finally introduce himself to her.

"You're the one who saved me." Julianna said softly as she lies practically motionless on the bed because she's still very weak.

"Yeah, I am."

"The red haired lady said you would protect me."

Gibbs is left in shock; speechless as to what to say because no word can describe it. The only possible explanation is that Shannon's spirit managed to attach to the situation because of her husband's emotional connection. Gibbs' mind is set at ease from trying to determine if his mind has been playing tricks on him this entire time. Shannon really was here.

"For some odd reason I can't stop thinking about buffalo." Julianna said. "I don't even like buffalo."

Gibbs chuckles slightly because the idea of buffalo was put into Julianna's head by his sister Kelly. The idea of buffalo is Kelly's way of saying, hi, and letting him know everything is fine. A tear rolls down Gibbs' cheek as he knows Kelly is happy and Shannon is looking after her.

After a couple minutes, Julianna asks for her mother. Gibbs takes the time to explain what happened; probably the hardest thing he's ever had to do, especially to an eight-year-old girl. With the explanation come Julianna's tears. It breaks Gibbs' heart to watch those tears flow from her eyes.

Gibbs remains at Julianna's bedside for the rest of the day.

**Saturday**

After spending the morning with Julianna, Gibbs leaves the hospital in order to take care of something very important. Julianna understands why he has to leave and knows he'll return as soon as he can.

Gibbs arrives at home where Jamie is waiting for him.

"Are you ready?" Jamie wondered as her father approaches.

"Yeah…" He said.

The two of them walk through the house. They exit into the backyard. Gibbs grabs a small hand shovel from the side. They walk into the middle of the yard where the stone garden is. They unearth the time capsule. Gibbs chuckles at the sight of the Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox which Jamie and Maddie called a time capsule. He never knew it was there. And he now realizes why Jamie and Maddie were laughing when he took the picture in this spot; because they were sitting on top of the buried time capsule.

The time capsule is opened.

The time capsule consists of several items.

**Item #1** which is the first thing Gibbs looks at. It's a letter Kelly wrote to her father before his deployment to Kuwait. It reads; Dear Daddy, I love you so much. I buried this so we could open it together when I get older. I miss you. Love, Kelly.

**Item #2** is a hand drawing. This dated crayon tracing of Kelly's and Maddie's hands was done in kindergarten in 1992. The girls decided to add these to the time capsule at the last minute, to remind themselves how small they'd once been.

**Item #3** is a Kelly's family drawing. A five-year-old Kelly painted this picture of her family. Kelly is in the middle, holding the hands of her parents on either side. For years, Gibbs' workshop walls were covered with drawings like this one.

**Item #4** is a best buddies drawing. Kelly and Maddie often spent their afternoons coloring together. Maddie drew this picture for Kelly right before the time capsule was buried.

**Item #5** is a fortune teller. This paper fortune teller contained the names of boys who Kelly and Maddie liked from their school. They would play the game to find out which one they would marry.

**Item #6** is a horse. The horse was painted by Kelly herself when she was six years old. Prior to being buried, it was displayed prominently on Kelly's sticker-covered dresser. Kelly had a hard time putting it in the capsule, and often missed having it afterwards.

**Item #7** is two bracelets. Best friends Kelly and Maddie exchanged these bracelets when they were in the second grade, knowing that at any time either of their families could be stationed elsewhere and they would be separated.

**Item #8** is a yellow ribbon. Yellow ribbons were handed out at Kelly's school in an effort to show support for those kids whose parents were being sent overseas to Kuwait.

**Item #9** is a Polly Pocket toy. Although this was not Kelly's childhood favorite (she wouldn't want to part with her absolute favorite, which happened to be a "My Little Pony"), it was something that reminded her of fun times playing with her friends.

**Item #10** is a second Polly Pocket toy. This is another of Kelly's Pocket toys.

**Item #11** is a Push-up Pop Candy. This was Maddie's favorite candy.

**Item #12** is dog tags. Kelly got these child-sized dog tags (labeled "Kelly" and "Daddy") as a gift from her Dad when she was four years old, and until she buried them in the time capsule, she rarely took them off.

Both of them are emotional as they look through the time capsule. Opening the time capsule with her father is why Jamie didn't open it with Maddie. She remembered it was meant to be opened with her father. And for both of them it was worth the wait.

Jamie places the dog tag labeled "Daddy" around her father's neck. Gibbs places the dog tag labeled "Kelly" around his daughter's neck. Jamie kisses her father on the cheek.

"I love you, Daddy." Jamie said as she wraps her arms around him.

"I love you too." Gibbs said. He kisses her on the forehead.

"Guess what…" Jamie said cheerfully as after opening the time capsule and seeing the contents triggered memories.

"What?"

"I remember Maddie."

"You should give her a call later."

"I will… When we return home."

Later in the day, close to dawn, Gibbs and Jamie are standing in a cemetery. They're standing in front of the grave of a recently buried coffin. Jamie is there for support of her father.

Five-year-old Kelly appears next to the headstone. She smiles at the sight of her brother and his daughter who happens to be her niece. Kelly knows her brother's daughter was originally named after her. Though Jamie's whole identity changed at one point in her life, Kelly knows Jamie changed her middle name back to Catherine in honor of her father's sister. And Kelly knows the two of them renamed their boat to honor her as well; the boat's name is Kelly, after Gibbs' sister. Both things she knows happened a while ago. Kelly is proud to have Jamie as her niece.

"I left you present." Jamie said as she looks down at the grave.

Kelly looks down at her grave. Suddenly, a stuff animal appears in her arms. The stuffed animal, the present Jamie left inside the coffin, is a buffalo. Kelly's face lights up with joy.

"I love it!" Kelly exclaimed as she hugs the buffalo stuffed animal.

"Enjoy the present, Kelly." Jamie said. She walks away in order to give her father time alone to say his goodbyes.

Gibbs kneels down next to his sister's new grave. The cemetery Kelly's now buried at is in a different state; a mid-western state which Gibbs and Jamie flew to specifically for Kelly. It's a small cemetery with less than one hundred graves.

"I think you'll like it here, Kelly." Gibbs said. "I promised you one day we'll see buffalo. I keep my promises. Buffalo once roamed this area in abundance. Buffalo for as far as the eye can see."

Suddenly, Kelly feels a rumbling beneath her feet. She turns around. Behind her are thousands of buffalo. Kelly's jaw drops at the sight of her favorite animal in the entire world. In her eyes, buffalo are the most magnificent and majestic creatures to ever walk the earth. She always knew her brother would take her to see buffalo. Kelly turns around to look at her brother again.

"I knew you'd keep your promise, Leroy." She said.

"I always do." Gibbs said. There's a brief moment of silence as he remembers what Kelly said to him the other day about how he saved her and that he just doesn't know yet. She was speaking about what she knew was deep down inside of him; hidden from conscious thought. Burying her in a place where Jared can find her was never an option from day one. "Our brother will never find you here, Kelly. You'll never see him again."

"You saved me, Leroy. I always had faith in you." Kelly said. She walks to her brother and kisses him on the cheek. "I love you, Leroy." She hugs him.

"I love you too."

Kelly and the thousands of buffalo vanish.

A minute later, Gibbs kisses the headstone; a new headstone which he purchased for her, along with a new coffin.

"Buffalos, Kelly... Buffalos." Gibbs said with a smile.

Gibbs walks away with knowing his sister Kelly can finally rest in peace. With Kelly at peace, that means Gibbs is officially at peace with Kelly's death. They'll see each other again someday. But for now, both are at peace.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

**The headstone reads:**

Kelly Catherine Gibbs

1958-1963

Beloved Sister

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Beneath the wording of the headstone are two carved buffalo. Gibbs paid extra to have two buffalo carved into the headstone as a customization just for Kelly.

**THE END**

This concludes the story "Close to Home". Coming soon will be the next story in this series. But until then, I hope you enjoyed this story.


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